How artificial intelligence is changing music

The final round of this year's AI Song Contest was contested by an oddly dissonant ode to coffee, some boppy Eurovision-esque ditties, a gently French melody, and a host of more genre-defying anthems. The competition is styled on the Eurovision, although it is open to entries from around the world, and the songs are entirely composed by computers. Listening to the finalists, and the ultimate winner – Thailand's Yaboi Hanoi with Asura Deva Choom Noom (Enter Demons & Gods); at aisongcontest.com – I found myself wondering if anyone had cheated by adding a little helping human hand. I also found myself wondering where the boundaries blur. Machines have been facilitating music-making since instruments were invented, but computer technology is a seismic shift on a par with the advents of sound recording and electrical amplification. While AI is currently causing future-shock rumblings, the influence of computers on our music has been felt for a while.