Could AI finish Bach’s Contrapunctus 14?

Historically, creativity was viewed as an exclusively human trait, even by staunch AI advocates. Philosophers have argued that true creativity requires a body, suggesting AI could never achieve it. However, a new form of artificial intelligence, called Generative AI, is now challenging and questioning these preconceptions. This shift prompts us to reexamine our understanding of human intelligence and our unique creative abilities. Music, together with art, serve as powerful representations of creativity. Here we examine music in the hope of gaining insights into the advancements and current capabilities of AI. For this, we briefly trace the evolution and present state of artificial intelligence. Musical expression is one that we believe to be purely human, emanating from provocative emotions and experiences, both from the composer and listener. In light of this, what can we expect from any attempt to artificially hijack such human abilities? In the process, this essay asks us to re-examine the nature and origin of our own creativity.