Ethical Framework for AI in Music

Note: Currently, our focus is on music. A future scope expansion is possible – get in touch if you would like to contribute!

Preamble

AI intervenes deeply in existing structures and fundamentally changes the composition, production, distribution, performance, and reception of music.

We understand technology as a tool to support creative processes and not as a replacement for human creation. We see AI as a challenge to re-establish and make visible the value of music’s vitality.

We neither reject technology outright nor do we glorify it. Our benchmark is not innovation at any cost, but cultural responsibility. Skepticism toward technological acceleration is a necessary component of responsible innovation.

The social upheaval caused by AI requires a new awareness of the value of human activity and community. With these guidelines, we aim to provide all stakeholders with orientation for a responsible, transparent, and fair use of AI in a musical context.

Core Beliefs

The ethical core beliefs of &ai include:

Artistic creation is a profoundly human act.

The use of tools supports the creative process, but a tool on its own is not creative.

Human achievements must be respected.

This requires the fair use of artistic works and transparency regarding the use of technologies that imitate or replace human creation.

The development and application of Artificial Intelligence technologies require a high degree of responsibility.

The transformation requires attention and a sensitive monitoring of its impact on society, culture, and the environment by all stakeholders.

The personal development of skills is of high value.

A work of art is not just an end product; it is shaped by its creative process. Broad cultural education and artistic practice must not be displaced by technology.

Our attitude toward technology is characterized by curiosity and responsibility: Technical progress alone is not the benchmark; rather, the question is which cultural and social values we want to preserve, strengthen, and redefine.

From these core beliefs, we derive guidelines for various stakeholders. We commit ourselves to regularly refining these guidelines in accordance with technological, legal, and social developments.