Art Official Intelligence: Music and Intellectual Property Philosophy in the New Age of Artificial Intelligence–Assisted Creativity

New forms of technological innovation often come with new concerns about impacts on artistry and creativity, including disruptions to markets, effects on rights relating to creative works, and artists’ changing relationships to their identities and creations. While previous work has begun to explore creatives’ experiences with the transformative technology of artificial intelligence (AI), further understanding is needed, particularly regarding how these tools could be designed to support individuals’ motivations to create and strengthen their connections to the AI‑assisted works they make. The philosophical traditions backing intellectual property law offer valuable insight into how to conceptualize the repercussions of AI on artists engaging in music creation. In this paper, we look into the philosophical foundations of intellectual property, specifically focusing on three primary approaches (incentives‑based utilitarian, Lockean, and personality‑based), and explicate how the consequences of AI tools on creativity can be understood from each approach—in particular, what may be viewed as significant challenges for future creation and innovation. We then provide design suggestions that could help mitigate those challenges in music AI tools.