Human-AI Music Creation: Understanding the Perceptions and Experiences of Music Creators for Ethical and Productive Collaboration

Recently, there has been a surge in Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that allow creators to develop melodies, harmonies, lyrics, and mixes with the touch of a button. The reception of and discussion on the use of these tools - and more broadly, any AI-based art creation tools - tend to be polarizing, with opinions ranging from enthusiasm about their potential to fear about how these tools will impact the livelihood and creativity of human creators. However, a more desirable future path is most likely somewhere in between these two polar opposites where productive and ethical human-AI collaboration could happen through the use of these tools. To explore this possibility, we first need to improve our understanding of how music creators perceive and utilize these types of tools in their creative process. We conducted case studies of a range of music creators to better understand their perception and usage of AI-based music creation tools. Through a thematic analysis of these cases, we identify the opportunities and challenges related to the use of AI for music creation from the perspective of the musicians and discuss the design implications for AI music tools.