Ethical Dimensions of Music Information Retrieval Technology

André Holzapfel · Bob L. T. Sturm · Mark Coeckelbergh

91 citations0/0 files storedTransactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval

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Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Music Technology and Sound Studies Music and Audio Processing

Abstract

This article examines ethical dimensions of Music Information Retrieval (MIR) technology. It uses practical ethics (especially computer ethics and engineering ethics) and socio-technical approaches to provide a theoretical basis that can inform discussions of ethics in MIR. To help ground the discussion, the article engages with concrete examples and discourse drawn from the MIR field. This article argues that MIR technology is not value-neutral but is influenced by design choices, and so has unintended and ethically relevant implications. These can be invisible unless one considers how the technology relates to wider society. The article points to the blurring of boundaries between music and technology, and frames music as “informationally enriched” and as a “total social fact.” The article calls attention to biases that are introduced by algorithms and data used for MIR technology, cultural issues related to copyright, and ethical problems in MIR as a scientific practice. The article concludes with tentative ethical guidelines for MIR developers, and calls for addressing key ethical problems with MIR technology and practice, especially those related to forms of bias and the remoteness of the technology development from end users.

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References

2017Semantics derived automatically from language corpora contain human-like biases 2017European Union Regulations on Algorithmic Decision Making and a “Right to Explanation”1996Bias in computer systems 1985WHAT IS COMPUTER ETHICS?*2013Bias in algorithmic filtering and personalization 1999Music as a technology of the self 1998Can Culture Be Copyrighted?2017Standardizing Ethical Design for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems

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2021Where Does the Buck Stop? Ethical and Political Issues with AI in Music Creation 2021What is fair? Exploring the artists’ perspective on the fairness of music streaming platforms 2020Fair navigation planning: A resource for characterizing and designing fairness in mobile robots 2020Diversifying MIR: Knowledge and Real-World Challenges, and New Interdisciplinary Futures

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