AI has evolved to benefit fields ranging from analyzing data to improving healthcare. Despite its improvements to a variety of fields, it will never be able to replace the creativity and talent of human beings, especially in the music industry. While AI creates flawless melodies and lyrics sung with a smooth voice, the originality of music is irreplaceable.
As technology continues to develop, especially artificial intelligence, the future of art is threatened by artificially generated songs and albums. Despite its negative impacts, “A 2018 paper published by Berklee College of Music and Health neurologists Dr. Samata Sharma and Dr. David Silbersweig suggested that due to music’s therapeutic effect on the brain, machine learning could one day be customized to treat functional disorders such as chronic pain, depression, and Parkinson’s.” Although AI music may have a beneficial effect in the healthcare industry, it does not replace human talent in the music industry.
There is a lack of creative artistry in AI systems. AI bases its output on data it is fed, and does not go through the cognitive process of imagination. While AI follows rules implemented in its design, real music breaks boundaries and breaks tradition. For example, Lauryn Hill revolutionized women’s role in hip-hop in the 90s, shaping generations of people through her willingness to challenge standards. Her music has set standards for music, showing that it is best to maintain individuality, even when society and AI developments demand conformity. Without the thought process that goes into making music, experimentation and creativity cannot exist.
Senior Ava Mielo noted that “music contains elements that are unique to the creator. It’s a way to express complex emotions, something that AI does not have as it is not a sentient being.”
True artistry comes from the emotion of humans. Whether that is love, hate, or indifference, music captures the raw emotional truth that only humans can translate into sound. One of the vital parts of listening to a song is the emotion that the artists portray through the tone of their voices. Even if the song is not relatable, it is possible to feel the artist’s emotions, putting on their shoes and living in their life.
Emotion charges voices, even if they are imperfect. AI removes imperfections, but they are what make music unique. Some of the most memorable songs, for example “Hey Jude” by Paul McCartney, have memorable flaws in them. AI aims for perfection, which creates empty songs that audiences can’t resonate with.
Ava mentioned “as AI strives for perfection, the music that is created from it does not contain other errors that make a piece original and easy to relate to because AI does not experience every day life.”
Oftentimes, people get connected to the artists they listen to. AI cannot replicate live performances, personality, and crowd energy. If put front and center on a stage, AI cannot curate its performance to an audience or connect with a group of people. The pre-programmed outputs of AI music cannot replicate the connection between performer and listener.
Music acts as a time stamp. In the future, we will be able to look back on the history of the music. Music carries cultural history through highlighting movements, revolutions, traditions and identities. From jazz to rap, albums are created from lived realities. While AI can imitate a style, it cannot understand the cultural weight of historical realities.
Human music is built on experience, emotion, and culture, elements no algorithm could recreate. As technology continues to advance, it can imitate music, but it can not replicate the soul of human artists.
