Music evolution: transitioning to transhumanism, posthumanism, and metahumanism

Abstract

The article explores the relationship between the new composing paradigm of the 21st century and human evolution. Scientific advancements have shaped worldviews and influenced creative tendencies in contemporary music. This dynamic is reciprocal: art reflects its time and, in turn, shapes civilization itself. Art music, through innovative approaches and new directions such as eco-music, multimedia, algorithmic composition, metaverse music, generative art music, bio-music, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) music, breaks traditional compositional stereotypes. Further collaboration with AI will fundamentally transform traditional music-making, offering boundless possibilities for experimentation. Creative imagination will be fully realised digitally, reshaping sonic realities. Renewed musical genres, new directions, or narratives in music will envision the next stage of humanity, giving rise to a new techno-aesthetic agenda. All of this will contribute to the transformation of consciousness, preparing humanity for a new stage of evolution—an era discussed in terms of transhumanism, posthumanism, and metahumanism. As the art form most closely associated with conveying humanity's spiritual origins, music will continue to embrace religious and spiritual discourse in the future. Moreover, the new techno-aesthetic platform does not contradict the transmission of spiritual principles; rather, it upholds the essence of music as an art form.

Keywords

• AI-generated music
• AIVA
• eco-music
• Übermensch
• compositional principles
• multimedia music

The evolution of music and musician students' views on ethical dilemmas related to transhumanistic music

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between the new 21st-century composing paradigm and human evolution, as well as the attitude of young musicians towards the future of music, with the participation of students from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. The importance of the research lies in its ability to address how AI, new genres and digital paradigms, and renewed compositional methods and tools change compositional principles and determine the interconnection of these novelties with the ideas of Advanced Humanism. The research problem is to investigate how scientific and technological advancements, especially those related to AI, are transforming creative tendencies, aesthetic values, and ethical perceptions in contemporary art music, and how these changes impact the future of musical expression, spiritual discourse, and human identity. As the research model, this study adopts a qualitative approach grounded in interpretivism, employing document analysis as the primary method. Fifty music students from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire participated in the study, providing the necessary data. Selected scores and audiovisual recordings of contemporary compositions that contribute to transhumanistic art music were also analysed. For data collection, a custom-developed questionnaire titled Opinions on Ethical Dilemmas in Transhumanist Music (OEDTM) was used. It included ten ethical dilemmas and applied a 5-point Likert scale to collect students’ opinions on transhumanistic music ethics. The analysis demonstrates how scientific advancements have influenced creative tendencies in contemporary music. Art music—through new directions such as eco-music, multimedia, algorithmic composition, generative art music, and AI music—breaks compositional stereotypes and transforms traditional music-making. Creative imagination is increasingly realised in digital spaces, reshaping sonic realities and giving rise to a new techno-aesthetic agenda. All of this contributes to the transformation of consciousness, preparing humanity for further evolution—an era framed in terms of transhumanism, posthumanism, metahumanism, or Euro-Transhumanism. Art music, most closely associated with conveying humanity’s spiritual origins, will continue to embrace religious and spiritual discourse. The new techno-aesthetic platform does not contradict spiritual principles. The study concludes that the future processes of humankind’s evolution, leading to techno-humans, will not change the mission of art. Technological advancements, including AI, new genres, compositional paradigms, and modes of expression aligned with transhumanistic ideals, will not diminish the spiritual and ethical significance of human-composed music. Participants responded significantly to most ethical dilemmas regarding transhumanistic music (p<.001). They strongly disagreed with statements such as “It can be regarded as human-produced” (X ̅=1.82) and “Competition is fair” (X ̅=1.60). They also mostly disagreed with “AI-generated music qualifies as emotional art” (X ̅=2.12), “enhanced performance is authentic” (X ̅=2.28), and “the musician’s role diminishes” (X ̅=2.32). Views were neutral on ownership (X ̅=3.10) and cultural homogenization (X ̅=3.32). The highest agreement was with “humans are responsible for harm caused by AI” (X̅=4.08). No statistically significant gender differences were found (p>.05). Specifically, findings from students reveal a strong commitment to human-centred creativity and ethical accountability, highlighting a cautious yet thoughtful engagement with transhumanist innovations in music.

Keywords

• AI-generated music
• compositional principles
• contemporary music
• transhumanism
• electronic music
• eco music
• ethical dilemmas
• transhumanistic music

Supporting Institution

Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire (for permission)

Ethical Statement

Prior to implementing the OEDTM with students at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, ethical approval was obtained from the Conservatoire's administration (Document No. 02/410). Volunteers were informed during designated time slots, and paper-based consent forms were distributed.

Thanks

The author extends sincere gratitude to the journal editors, editorial board members and the anonymous peer reviewers whose thoughtful feedback significantly improved earlier drafts of this article. Special thanks are also extended to the bachelor students of the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire who participated in answering the questionnaire significantly contributed to the development of this work, as well as to the administration of above-mentioned Conservatoire for granting permission to interview the students. I extend my sincere thanks to Stefan Lorenz Sorgner—German metahumanist philosopher, Nietzsche scholar, and philosopher of music—for generously providing access to the latest scientific literature.

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