Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Artistic experience, in its multiple manifestations, involves a complex interplay of anticipation, perception, emotional resonance, and interpretation, delving into the psychology of the artist. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in artistic production challenges conventional notions of creativity and emotional expression, especially in music, a domain marked by enduring debates about authorship and authenticity. Focusing on instrumental music, this study investigates how the attribution of authorship (human vs. AI) and listener expectations (via priming conditions) influence the perception of AI-generated music. More precisely, it examines the extent to which the emotional and musical experiences elicited by AI-generated compositions are equivalent to those elicited by human-generated ones. Participants listened to excerpts composed either by a human or by a state-of-the-art AI model, both based on identical keyword prompts, and evaluated them under one of three priming conditions: attribution to AI, attribution to a human, or unattributed (control). Measures included aesthetic evaluations, felt emotions, perceived emotional intention, and perceived creativity. Additionally, the study considers the emotional states experienced by human composers during the creative process, offering insights into the evolving relationship between technology, creativity, and audience reception in the contemporary musical landscape.</p>