The Recording Academy, the organization behind the prestigious Grammy Awards, is facing new challenges as it must now account for the emergence of AI-generated music. With the rise of generative AI, people are now able to create entire songs using artificial intelligence. This was demonstrated by an AI-generated song featuring The Weeknd and Drake that went viral a few months ago. While AI is capable of creating songs that sound like the real deal, there are copyright implications, especially when artists like The Weeknd and Drake are not explicitly agreeing to their voices being re-used for new songs.
On the other hand, some artists are approving of music AI generation within their music. For example, The Beatles are using AI to bring John Lennon’s voice back for one last track. As AI continues to impact and change the music industry, the Recording Academy’s guidelines will also continue to evolve.
According to the new 2024 Grammy Awards rules, “Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a Grammy Award.” This means that even though only human creators will be recognized for their work, AI-generated music can still be submitted to the Grammys for consideration. However, the awards will only go to the humans who contributed to the piece. If the work contains no human authorship and depends solely on AI, it is not eligible for consideration.
In the songwriting and performance categories, the piece has to be mostly written or performed by a human for the work to be considered for a Grammy. This means that AI-generated music can only be considered if it has significant contributions from human creators.
As AI continues to advance, it is likely that there will be more AI-generated music that will be submitted for consideration at the Grammys. It remains to be seen how the Recording Academy will continue to evolve its guidelines to account for this new form of music creation.
There are also concerns about the future of music creation and how AI will impact the work of human artists. While AI-generated music has the potential to create new sounds and styles, it also raises questions about the role of human creativity in music. Some argue that AI-generated music lacks the emotional depth and creativity that comes from human experience.
Despite these concerns, AI-generated music is becoming increasingly popular, and it is likely that we will see more of it in the future. As the music industry continues to evolve, it is important that we find ways to balance the benefits of AI-generated music with the importance of human creativity and expression.
