This thesis examines how composers who integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their music-making practices motivate and understand their use of AI-tools. Research on AI music has often focused on listener perception, technological development or issues of authorship, while the perspective of the composer remains underexplored. According to John Blacking (1986), musical change is not simply a result of technological or cultural shifts, but instead it develops through the intentions and decisions of individual musicians. Understanding composers’ motivations and interpretations in the rapidly evolving context of AI co-created composition is therefore essential to explaining how musical practices change. This thesis adopts an interpretivist and hermeneutic approach, drawing on seven semi-structured interviews with composers from diverse musical backgrounds, who all engage in human-AI co-creation. Thematic analysis was applied to the interview data and identified four overarching themes: (1) functional uses of AI, including practical applications such as melodic and harmonic generation, lyric writing and overcoming creative blocks; (2) motivations for using or avoiding AI, including efficiency, technological curiosity, artistic intention, creative control and enjoyment of “traditional” composition; (3) reception of AI music, including participants’ views on musical quality, emotional expression, ethical considerations and market saturation; and (4) technological development, including reflections on current capabilities, limitations and a predicted future of AI tools. The findings highlight that composers’ engagement with AI is shaped by several aspects, namely, its functional capabilities, artistic values, ethical stances and contextual influences. AI is most often treated as a creative partner or a source of raw material, instead of solely being a replacement for human agency. This thesis emphasizes that composers understand AI as a flexible, non-neutral tool whose role is actively negotiated. The findings of this thesis contribute to a nuanced understanding of the role AI plays in contemporary composition practices.
Eliza Baartman (Wed,) studied this question.