The 70th anniversary of the publication of the original proposal for a Dartmouth conference on artificial intelligence has refocused attention on the field.
At the time of the conference, cognitive scientists were beginning to turn their attention to how humans define and measure creativity.
More than 70 years later, we now have AI models that follow that early recipe for creativity, making art, music, and more that is indiscernible from that made by humans.
Now, music, an art form particularly embedded in our lives and experiences, is the latest target of such creations, as debate rages over authorship and originality.
The major record labels are suing the top AI music generators, alleging that diffusion models do little more than replicate human art without compensating artists, but the makers of those models say the tools are made to assist in human creation.
As with many areas of AI, its impact is likely to proliferate in some form regardless of the outcome of court decisions, as YouTube has reportedly been in talks with major labels to license their music for AI training, and Meta’s agreements with Universal Music Group suggest licensing for AI-generated music might be on the table.