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Over half of musicians say they would conceal the use of AI in their tracks

A study conducted by Pirate Studios revealed that only 48% of artists would be transparent about their use of artificial intelligence

  • WORDS: TIBOR HESKETT | PHOTO: CHRIS CUNNINGHAM, HUGO AHLBERG AND PIRATE STUDIOS
  • 7 November 2023
Over half of musicians say they would conceal the use of AI in their tracks

In a recent Pirate Studios survey over half of musicians said that they would not publicise their use of artificial intelligence when making their music.

The study fielded questions to 1,141 artists and revealed a "growing openness to AI technology within the music community."

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25% of musicians surveyed had already dipped their toes into the world of AI music production, while 46% indicated that they would be willing to use AI music tools in the future.

Although there is a clear majority of musicians favouring the use AI music technology, there is a clear transparency gap as 52% of respondents confirmed that they would conceal the use of AI in their music. This is likely due to the fear of the revelation's reception within the music community, as 53% of musicians surveyed indicated they would be concerned about their audience's perception of AI-assisted music.

David Borrie, Pirate co-founder and CEO, likened the introduction of AI in the studio to auto-tune, where it faced initial criticism but eventually found its place within music production.

Read this next: “You can’t commoditise brilliance”: are we truly ready for the AI revolution in music?

The survey also asked musicians who had already used AI which stage in their music-creation process was aided the most by artificial intelligence, revealing a clear majority in songwriting and composition:

Rather than use AI technology in the technical side of music production, namely mixing, mastering and vocal processing, it seems artists view AI as an aid for creative inspiration as they would favour the use of AI tools in songwriting, beat creation and arrangement.

This raises questions about the loss of authenticity of artists' creations within the music community, which was listed by musicians who would refrain from using artificial intelligence as the main reason behind their abstention.

Meanwhile, artists who would use AI in music cited curiosity, enhanced creativity and efficiency as their three primary motivators in the study.

Read the full findings from the study here.

Tibor Heskett is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter

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