Whose Intelligence? Whose Music? Critical Reflections on AI in Music Education

Abstract

This commentary critically examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into music education through two guiding questions: Whose intelligence is encoded within these systems? Whose music is legitimised and reproduced through them? While often promoted as neutral and innovative, AI systems are shaped by cultural biases, economic logics, and epistemological assumptions that privilege Western classical and commercial repertoires. In doing so, they risk narrowing definitions of intelligence, standardising musical practices, and reproducing existing inequalities. Drawing on critical pedagogy and decolonial perspectives, the commentary argues that AI in music education should be approached not as a technical solution but as a contested site of knowledge production. It highlights the dangers of epistemic erasure, technocratic pedagogy, and data colonialism, while outlining pathways for transformation: decolonising datasets, cultivating critical digital literacy, reclaiming pedagogy from the logic of efficiency, and fostering alliances across disciplines and communities. By reframing AI as an object of critique and dialogue, this commentary seeks to open possibilities for more inclusive, equitable, and transformative practices in music education.