Comparison of the effects of AI-generated music on emotional responses, aesthetic enjoyment, and perceived quality between musicians and non-musicians

Abstract

This study investigates how emotional responses, aesthetic enjoyment, and perceived quality elicited by artificial intelligence (AI)-generated music differ between musicians and non-musicians using a mixed-methods research design. To conceptualize the effects of technological mediation on musical experience, the study adopts a multilayered theoretical framework encompassing Meyer's theory of musical emotion, Huron's expectation model, the Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS), Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, and Benjamin's concept of mechanical reproducibility. The study included a total of 64 participants, consisting of 32 musicians and 32 non-musicians. Data were collected using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS), and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), while the qualitative dimension was enriched through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics indicated that AI-generated music produced moderate levels of emotional arousal and aesthetic enjoyment. MANOVA and post hoc multiple comparison analyses revealed that non-musicians reported significantly higher levels of pleasure (M = 4.12) than musicians (M = 3.24), whereas the opposite pattern was observed for inspiration. Among musicians, a positive correlation was found between pleasure and inspiration (r = .284), while a negative correlation emerged among non-musicians (r = −.357). Qualitative findings indicated that although AI-generated music was perceived as technically impressive, emotional engagement remained limited due to a perceived lack of authenticity. While musicians appreciated its technical compositional competence, they adopted a more critical stance regarding emotional depth. In contrast, non-musicians reported greater aesthetic pleasure but experienced lower levels of creative inspiration. These findings are consistent with theoretical perspectives concerning cultural capital and the social construction of aesthetic judgment.