Leveraging small datasets for ethical and responsible AI music making

The impact of Artificial Intelligence is felt on every stage of contemporary musicking and is shaping our interaction with sound. Deep learning Generative AI (GenAI) systems for high-quality music generation rely on extremely large musical datasets for training. As a result, AI models tend to be trained on dominant mainstream musical genres, such as Western classical music, where large datasets are more readily available. In addition, the reliance on extremely powerful computing resources for deep learning creates barriers to use and negatively impacts our environment. This paper reports on contemporary concerns and interests of musicians, researchers, and music industry stakeholders in the responsible use of GenAI models for music and audio. Through analysis of focus group discussions and exemplar case studies of the use of GenAI in music making at a hybrid workshop of 148 participants, we offer insights into current discourses about the use of GenAI beyond dominant musical styles and suggest ways forward to increase creative agency in music making beyond the mainstream. Our findings highlight the value of small datasets of music for GenAI, the suitability of AI models for working with small datasets of music, and pose questions around what constitutes a ‘small’ dataset of music.