MUAI 201 Music and AI: Imitation or Ingenuity? (2025)

Does artificial intelligence in music function primarily as an imitator of human creativity or as an autonomous creator of original content? Employing a mixed-methods approach, we analyze AI-generated compositions using computational musicology and conduct expert evaluations through double-blind listening tests. Quantitative metrics assess novelty and deviation from training data, while qualitative analyses gauge human perception of creativity. Findings reveal that while AI systems often rely heavily on stylistic patterns present in training datasets, emergent behaviors occasionally yield compositions indistinguishable from or exceeding the originality of human works. However, true innovation remains bounded by the models’ input scope and algorithmic constraints. The research infers that current AI demonstrates constrained creativity—capable of recombination and variation rather than independent invention. Implications are discussed in the context of authorship, aesthetic value, and the evolving definition of creativity in computational systems. Further studies are recommended to assess evolving generative capabilities.