Musical Interaction between AI and Humans: Convergence of AI and Humans in 21st Century Contemporary Music by Yuseon Won

Musical Interaction between AI and Humans: Convergence of AI and Humans in 21st Century Contemporary Music

- Yuseon Won

AI has increasingly influenced music composition, performance, and reception, leading to a growing scholarly interest in exploring its underlying musical mechanisms and artistic potential. However, much of the existing research tends to draw a rigid distinction between 'AI-generated music' and 'human-composed music,' revealing clear limitations. Questions such as "Can a machine, rather than a human, be the agent of creation?", and "What unique artistic value does AI possess that distinguishes it from humans?" underscore the challenges that current studies frequently confront. Many of these studies continue to reflect underlying anxieties about AI, primarily focusing on evaluating the artistic capabilities or technical proficiency of AI as something inherently separate from human creators. Even in research that acknowledges AI's role in collaborative creative processes, there often remains a lack of clear explanation regarding how human creativity and computational power interact and complement each other in practice.

This study aims to expand the scope of research on AI in music by examining the specific ways in which humans and AI collaborate in the creation of 21st-century contemporary music, and exploring the artistic implications of these collaborations. Contemporary music is once again evolving as it engages with the profound influence of AI, moving towards a convergence between AI and human creators. Significantly, while the evolution of music has traditionally centered on the novelty of 'materials'—such as tonality, atonality, and form—it is now shifting towards an emphasis on the novelty of 'subjects,' particularly through the introduction of AI as a creative partner.

Accordingly, 1) this study will categorize the relationship between humans and AI in the creative process into three types: 'complete substitution,' 'partial substitution,' and 'collaborator,' analyzing the distinct characteristics and nuances of each category. 2) Subsequently, the study will focus on 'AI improvisation' as a prominent example of human-AI convergence, examining its musical characteristics and significance. AI improvisation is more than a mere tool for human use or an extension of a composer's intent; it embodies a relationship of equal coexistence between humans and AI, enabled through real-time dialogue and interaction. This research will specifically delve into the principles and musical concepts underlying the AI improvisation works of composers such as Artemi-Maria Gioti, investigating how these works challenge and expand traditional music concepts and human-centered perspectives.