“This music was made by AI.”
 

The moment you hear these words about music you were enjoying just a second ago, your emotions begin to waver. It sounded beautiful until moments ago, but now you even start to doubt the moved state you felt. But can a feeling of being moved truly be "canceled"? We are living in an era where we have already grown accustomed to AI-generated images, voices, and virtual personas. Technology has moved beyond simply imitating humans and has entered the realm of creation, once considered an exclusively human domain. This shift is becoming increasingly natural, not just in video but in the field of musical composition as well. And this change has begun to shake not only the way music is made but also the way we receive the inspiration and emotion it provides. Come to think of it, questions about whether music must necessarily originate from a composer's emotions have existed for a long time.
 

#. Musical Dice Games and Player Pianos

In 18th-century Western Europe, "musical dice games" were popular. A composer would pre-write several musical fragments and then connect them based on the numbers rolled on a dice to complete a piece. The player piano, which appeared at the end of the 19th century, showed the possibility that music could be played without human hands. Even then, people questioned whether a mechanical performance could ever replace human emotion. However, people eventually began to find beauty and moved emotions within it. Of course, these historical examples do not outright justify AI composition today.
 

#. Was the Creator's Consent Obtained?

In dice games or player pianos, the human composer remained at the center. Humans designed the musical fragments and the performances programmed into the player piano. In contrast, AI generates new music on its own by learning from millions of human creations. The subject of creation has fundamentally changed. This difference cannot be overlooked. There are even more uncomfortable questions: Did the music used for AI training have the creators' consent? Are the revenues generated from that music flowing back to the original artists? What happens to musicians who lose their livelihoods as AI music spreads? These questions remain social tasks that must be resolved. Nevertheless, I return to the question of whether feeling moved by AI music itself is problematic.
 

#. Musical Emotion and Communion

Having been a musician for many years, I once believed that the essence of music lay in human emotion and communion. The tension before walking on stage, the countless repetitions for the sake of a single phrase, and the communion of the moment when that emotion reaches the audience—I thought that was what made music, "music." However, at some point, I began to rethink this belief. I realized that musical emotion is sometimes delivered in ways far more unpredictable than expected. Someone is moved at a moment I never anticipated, while a part where I felt I poured out all my emotions might just pass someone else by. Such experiences left me thinking that musical emotion might not necessarily be completed solely by the intention of the creator or performer. Being moved does not begin only within the creator's inner self. Just as a casual remark can become long-lasting comfort for someone else, the place where emotion is completed is ultimately within the listener. This fact does not justify AI music in every aspect. However, it does suggest that the argument "you shouldn't be moved because it was made by AI" is difficult to sustain.
 

#. An Era Where the Heart is Moved

Perhaps we are entering an era where our hearts are actually moved by music created by non-human entities. However, unlike previous technological shifts, AI must be handled more carefully because it threatens the very position of the creator. When electronic instruments appeared, and when streaming changed the music market, we discovered new musical cultures within those shifts. But this time, we must not ignore the underlying issues while merely enjoying the convenience of technology. If asked whether it is okay to be moved by AI music, I would answer like this: Being moved is an experience that cannot be canceled. However, that experience should not be purely comfortable. When we can reflect on the fact that we were moved alongside how that music was made, perhaps only then are we truly listening to music in the age of AI.