Guiding Principles for AI/Machine Learning

As an institution of musicians, artists, and educators, Berklee nurtures human creativity, fosters innovation, and educates students for a rapidly changing artistic and professional landscape.

The generative capabilities of new forms of machine learning (referred to as generative AI or gen AI) offer exciting opportunities for innovation and new imaginative horizons in the arts. At the same time, gen AI poses threats to how human creativity is recognized, developed, and supported. It is therefore imperative for us to understand both the creative potential of gen AI and the disruptive impacts that these technologies may have upon the agency, sustainability, and economic incentives of individual human creatives. As a global leader in music and the performing arts, Berklee will continue its tradition of empowering musicians and artists to not only navigate these new trends but to shape them.

As an educational community we are committed to the development of policies, partnerships, and educational practice around gen AI and enabling technologies that recognize the critical roles that individual artists and creative practice play in our society. 

The following are intended as core principles that will guide our work and our partnerships in these areas. 

Guiding Principles

As artists, we center the human and human experience in all of our work. We will continue our tradition of early adoption of technology that empowers and amplifies human creativity, always through an artist-first lens.

As artist advocates, we champion the role of human creators in shaping the future of music and the arts. This includes ensuring that the rights, recognition, and consent of artists are at the center of ethical development of new creative technologies. 

As arts educators, we will maintain our long commitment to ensuring Berklee students have a practical, real-world understanding of the latest technology trends, are adaptable, and feel empowered. We will always focus on the best practices in supporting our students and our faculty.