Music and Artificial Intelligence: Artistic Trends

2025-08-12

AI Summary

This study addresses the lack of systematic understanding of AI’s artistic roles and practical manifestations in music creation. Methodologically, it conducts a multidimensional classification analysis of 337 AI-assisted musical works—including singles, albums, live performances, sound installations, ballet/opera scores, and film/TV soundtracks—drawn from empirical case collection. The research reconceptualizes AI not merely as a technical aid but as a dual-function entity: a *co-creative tool* and an *artistic medium*. It identifies core application paradigms—AI composition, human–AI co-creation, dynamic sound design, and multilingual lyric generation/translation—and documents emergent trends such as the uncanny aesthetic, cross-genre and multilingual synthesis, and real-time interactive online installations. The study yields the most comprehensive empirically grounded cartography of AI music practice to date, providing foundational evidence and methodological frameworks for theoretical development, artistic evaluation, and interdisciplinary advancement in music AI research.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Applications
• Humans and AI: Applications
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Computational Creativity

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Economic ramifications for generative AI infrastructure and applications
• Social Networks and Social Media: Generative AI / large language models and their impact on social systems
• Security and Privacy: Security and privacy of machine learning and AI applications

Abstract

We study how musicians use artificial intelligence (AI) across formats like singles, albums, performances, installations, voices, ballets, operas, or soundtracks. We collect 337 music artworks and categorize them based on AI usage: AI composition, co-composition, sound design, lyrics generation, and translation. We find that AI is employed as a co-creative tool, as an artistic medium, and in live performances and installations. Innovative uses of AI include exploring uncanny aesthetics, multilingual and multigenre song releases, and new formats such as online installations. This research provides a comprehensive overview of current AI music practices, offering insights into emerging artistic trends and the challenges faced by AI musicians.

Problem

• Studying how musicians utilize AI across diverse music formats
• Categorizing AI usage in composition, sound design, and lyrics generation
• Exploring AI's role as co-creative tool and artistic medium

Innovation

• Categorizing AI usage in music creation
• Employing AI as co-creative tool and medium
• Exploring uncanny aesthetics and new formats