New research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) reveals that 58% of UK adults like the idea of AI creating new music from some of the great composers and performers who are no longer with us.
New research findings from a forthcoming RPO report on AI in music explored the public’s attitude to AI, ranging from live performances to studio recordings. Nationally, 58% of respondents could cite one or more posthumous musician, for whom they would like AI to create new songs. This peaked at 77% for people living in London. Pop music greats topped the top 10 list but many also liked the idea of AI creating new music for other genres including orchestral, jazz and reggae.
Whilst many people liked the idea of AI giving them new material from cherished artists, more broadly the concept of AI in music polarised opinion among the UK public. Nationally, 42% of people did not believe that AI should re-appropriate the voices of loved artists. This was a broadly held view across age groups, even among the youngest people polled (31% for the under 20s).
Whilst the RPO research suggests many welcome the convenience that AI may bring to music enjoyment, few think AI will enhance creativity in music-making. Nationally, 56% of adults thought AI would result in a lack of creative innovation in music, compared to only 21% that believed AI would increase innovation.
Also, there were differing opinions on AI with regard to the future of live music performance compared to studio recordings. Nationally, 78% of people believed AI couldn’t touch human creativity when it came to live music performances, whereas 50% thought AI would have replaced humans altogether for studio recorded music by 2050.
Huw Davies, Deputy Managing Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comments: “For decades, technology has been an important tool for musicians. Without it we wouldn’t have had the recorded music era on vinyl and CD. And more recently, the Internet, social media and streaming sites have done so much to open up access to music, its discovery and enjoyment.”
“The RPO’s consumer research is important because it gives us a chance to listen to our audience. The early results from our new UK data suggests there are polarised consumer opinions on AI’s growing involvement with music as a creative art form. Some people support it, others dislike anything that challenges the integrity of human creativity. It is reassuring that three quarters of people see the magic of live music events as something where human creativity cannot be challenged, although if people lose jobs to AI in the future, the performing arts may have new challenges when it comes to filling concert halls. As with all forms of technology, we need to embrace change and innovation, but we also need to think early about the possible consequences, and let these guide us when it comes to our terms of engagement with AI.”
These initial research findings are from a major new consumer research report by the RPO which includes an exploration of the public’s views on AI in music. The RPO Annual Insight Report will be available from the end of January 2026.
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