Survey and Typology of Computer-Assisted Composition Systems

Computer music is experiencing a rapid change as artificial intelligence (AI) integrates into composers’ musical practice at all levels. We contribute a survey of the field of Computer-Assisted Composition (CAC) since its inception, spanning 62 years of research (1963-2025). In total, we collect 125 CAC systems and contribute a typology that categorizes them. The typology classifies 1) the metadata about the system, 2) the music composition problem (task and scope), 3) the computing architecture, 4) the human-machine interaction, and 5) the ecosystemic context. Finally, we analyze historical trends, discuss implications, challenges and opportunities from our work, and report on the state of CAC communities.