Culture and Politics of Machine Learning in NIME: A Preliminary Qualitative Inquiry

For several years, the various practices around ML techniques have been increasingly present and diversified. However, the literature associated with these techniques rarely reveals the cultural and political sides of these practices. In order to explore how practitioners in the NIME community engage with ML techniques, we conducted interviews with seven researchers in the NIME community and analysed them through a thematic analysis. Firstly, we propose findings at the level of the individual, resisting technological determinism and redefining sense making in interactive ML. Secondly, we propose findings at the level of the community, revealing mitigated adoption with respect to ML. This paper aims to provide the community with some reflections on the use of ML in order to initiate a discussion about cultural, political and ethical issues surrounding these techniques as their use grows within the community.