The Future of Musical Knowledge in the Age of Machine Learning

Machine learning and methods of artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly present for music

practitioners, music researchers and music listeners. Going beyond the more widely-known cases of audio

deepfakes and automatic music generation for commercial use, the advent of music AI also has a vast influence

on music research in all its various contexts. This paper aims to outline some of the current developments in

music research, focusing explicitly on intradisciplinary interactions between music history, music analysis,

music theory, music technology, music production, and music informatics. It is based on the work results and

discussions of the interdisciplinary and international Visiting Research Group “The Future of Musical

Knowledge in the Age of Machine Learning,” hosted at ZiF Bielefeld for the period April-May 2023. The goal is

to show the multifaceted nature of this field, highlight cross-cutting links and potential for mutual

developments, as well as to take a position on what the growing entanglement of AI with music research might

mean for the future.