With AI creating music, it is getting harder to know if songs are created by humans or machines.

Psychologists are interested in how music affects us, and even shapes our personal identity.

Technology has steadily increased music access, expanding the global musical palette that shapes our psyches.

That cool new pop song on the radio… did a human even write that?

It is getting more difficult to know whether music is created by humans or machines. AI-powered music production apps allow users to input simple audio ideas or lyrics, adjust a few settings, and the artificial music producer creates a surprisingly polished song recording. This highlights the strong interaction that exists between technology and music listening.

Psychologists are interested in how humans process music, how music links to memories, or why a particular musical passage gives us goosebumps. Researchers have confirmed that music listening activates diverse brain systems, and the psychology of music offers insight into cognition, memory, and emotions. Evidence-based music therapy is used to improve alertness, speech, movement, pain, or even alter moods. There is evidence that music listening engages key neurological reward circuits, and contributes to the formation of our personal identity. Studies suggest that the music we listened to when we were young significantly helped to shape our personal sense of self. (1 – 4)

But without the technology that allows us to listen to music, we would not have this mind-music connection. Technology changes, and with it, changing the ways we accessed the music that has music influenced........

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