Grammys rule out AI nominations

And the winner is…not a machine. Only human creators can be considered, nominated, or win a Grammy Award, according to new rules.

The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, has updated its rules to state that work without human authorship will not be eligible to be submitted or win in any category.

However, it also said that songs with “elements” of AI can be nominated, but only human authorship will be recognized and the contribution of human creators in appropriate categories has to be “meaningful.”

For example, in the songwriting category, lyrics have to be written mostly by a human even if an AI voice is singing the song, according to the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

“Same goes for performance categories – only a human performer can be considered for a Grammy. If AI did the songwriting or created the music, that's a different consideration. But the Grammy will go to human creators at this point,” Mason told Grammy.com.

Mason also said AI is going to “absolutely, unequivocally have a hand in shaping the future of our industry.”

Some AI-generated music has already found success, with Heart on My Sleeve, a fake collaboration between Drake and the Weeknd, going viral earlier this year before major music streaming services pulled a plug on it due to copyright infringement.

Creators like Nick Cave and Daft Punk have expressed concerns over the use of AI, but others, like Grimes and Paul McCartney, have embraced it.