Selected Topics in Music Literature for Non-Majors (175-0-3)

Topic

Music and Artificial Intelligence

Instructors

Daniel S Atwood

Meeting Info

RCMA Lower Level 113: Tues, Thurs 10:00AM - 12:30PM

Overview of class

While the pervasive boom of generative AI in recent years has been largely driven by text, image, and video models like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Sora, AI is also increasingly transforming the musical landscape. In 2023, an AI-generated collaboration imitating Drake and The Weeknd went viral on Spotify and Apple Music before being taken down at the request of Universal Music Group, the artists' publisher. That same year, the song generator Suno emerged, claiming to put the power to generate the next great song in any user's hands. By late 2025, Billboard announced that at least six AI projects had appeared on their charts, one of whom - Xania Monet - secured a $3 million dollar record deal last September. These developments raise questions about the nature of creativity and expression, authenticity and ownership, and the economic impact on human artists.

At the same time, algorithmically-generated music has a much longer history than just the recent AI boom, and this course takes the position that a broader look at this history stands to enrich our understanding of the present situation and its surrounding questions. Thus, students will explore the intersections of music and artificial intelligence through a range of historic and contemporary cases, from 18th-century musical dice games to Cold War-era computer music to current-day pop song generators. We will study how various AI tools are used in music composition, research, improvisation, and performance, as well as the ongoing philosophical, ethical, and legal discourses around AI-produced music. Course work includes essays, participation in in-class exercises, and quizzes.

Class Materials (Required)

None required for purchase. Assigned reading, listening, and other materials will be available on CANVAS.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Face to face: In person, in campus space