Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis (Master's)
Department or Program
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Professor Regine Rosenthal
Second Advisor
Professor Donald Pease
Third Advisor
Professor Aden L. Evens
Abstract
This thesis examines how AI-generated music disrupts traditional meaning-making processes in musical expression. Through semiotic analysis (Saussure, Peirce) and cultural theory (Hall), I demonstrate how AI produces technically proficient but culturally hollow compositions, what I term "floating signifiers." Case studies reveal AI's inability to replicate the lived experiences that give music its depth, despite accurate stylistic reproductions. The work identifies three fundamental losses: contextual grounding, authentic hybridity, and historical consciousness. I propose ethical frameworks for human-AI collaboration that preserve music's essential humanity while leveraging algorithmic capabilities. Ultimately, this research shifts the debate from technical possibility "Can AI compose?" to cultural significance "Can AI create meaning?".
Original Citation
Aruwajoye, Kehinde. Floating Signifiers: AI, Semiotics, and the Crisis of Meaning in Music. Master’s thesis, Dartmouth College, Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, May 2025.
Recommended Citation
Aruwajoye, Kehinde, "Floating Signifiers: AI, Semiotics, and the Crisis of Meaning in Music" (2025). Dartmouth College Master’s Theses. 227.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/masters_theses/227
Included in
Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons
