The Anthropomorphic Analogy: Humanising musical machines in the early modern and contemporary eras

Abstract

Since the late twentieth century, the development of cybernetics, physical computing and robotics has led artists and researchers to create musical systems that explore the relationship between human bodies and mechanical systems. Anthropomorphic musical robots and bodily integrated ‘cyborg’ sensor interfaces explore complementary manifestations of what we call the ‘anthropomorphic analogy’, which probes the boundary between human artificer and artificial machine, encouraging listeners and viewers to humanise non-musical machines and understand the human body itself as a mechanical instrument.These new approaches to the anthropomorphic analogy benefit from historical contextualisation. At numerous points in the history of Western art music, philosophers, critics, composers, performers and instrument designers have considered the relationship between human musician and musical instrument, often blurring the line between the two. Consideration of historical examples enriches understandings of anthropomorphism in contemporary music technology.This article juxtaposes the anthropomorphic analogy in contemporary musical culture with manifestations of anthropomorphism in early seventeenth-century Europe. The first half of the seventeenth century witnessed a flourishing of instrumentality of all sorts. Musical instruments were linked with the telescope, the clock, the barometer, the paintbrush, and many other instruments and machines, and these came to be understood as vehicles for the creation of knowledge. This flourishing of instrumental culture created new opportunities for contemplation and aesthetic wonder, as theorists considered the line between human being and machine – between nature and artifice. Manifestations of the anthropomorphic analogy in seventeenth-century conceptions of musical instruments help to contextualise and explain similar articulations of the anthropomorphic analogy in the present day.

Anthropological view on the history of musical art

“…Researchers consider the era of classicism to be one of the most important eras in the history of music. In the era of classicism, new musical genres emerged and developed, new musical instruments were invented, which contributed to the global popularisation of the art of music (Cypess & Kemper, 2018;Fedotchev, 2020). The era of classicism dates back to the 17 th -19 th centuries.…”

Is Generative AI Ready to Join the Conversation That We Are?

“…The tendency toward the anthropomorphism of technology likely began with musical instruments in the early seventeenth century. 66 Li & Suh found this trend accelerating in published AI research even before the launch of ChatGPT, apparently motivated by an increase in trust and acceptance of technology that exhibits human characteristics. 67 Paradoxically, some personifying of AI also seems designed to gain attention by playing on our existential fears.…”

Boundary crossing: an experimental study of individual perceptions toward AIGC

“…One is that humans can better perceive, understand and control machines; the other is that anthropomorphic artificial intelligence can better integrate into human society and strengthen the social connection between humans and machines. Researchers have traced back to the concept of anthropomorphism in European musical instruments in the 17th century, exploring the combination of anthropomorphic features and mechanical systems in music production today ( Cypess and Kemper, 2018 : 201). Fink found that the public is more likely to accept artificial intelligence that is highly similar to humans in terms of appearance and behavior ( Fink, 2012 ).…”