No Grammy Accolades for AI-Produced Music in the Foreseeable Future

It appears that a Grammy award won’t be in the cards for the AI-produced “Fake Drake” anytime soon. Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s CEO, stated this week that although music featuring some AI-generated voices or instruments could be considered for awards, accolades will be reserved for songs that are “largely the work of a human.”

“Currently, we will allow the submission of AI music and content, but the Grammys will only be given to human creators who have made a significant creative contribution in the relevant categories,” Mason expressed in a conversation with Grammy.com. “We are open to considering music that involves AI voices or instrumentation. However, in categories focused on songwriting, the work should primarily be by a human. The same applies to performance categories, where only human performers can be contenders for a Grammy. If the songwriting or music creation involves AI, that will be a different consideration. However, at this moment, the Grammy will be reserved for human creators.”

This statement from the CEO indicates that the artificial versions of Drake and The Weeknd’s song “Heart on My Sleeve,” which became popular earlier this year before being removed from streaming platforms due to copyright issues, wouldn’t qualify for the awards. An AI imposter also tricked fans by selling forged Frank Ocean tracks in April for approximately CAD 13,000 ($9,722 US), while Spotify has been actively eliminating thousands of AI-generated songs from its platform.

However, this decision creates a wave of queries regarding artists such as Holly Herndon, who used an AI rendition of her voice for a Dolly Parton’s cover of “Jolene.” Would the AI-generated performance affect her eligibility, even though it uses her voice? Similar questions arise for the forthcoming “final” Beatles track, which, according to Paul McCartney, will employ AI to extract a distorted recording of John Lennon’s voice. And what about Taryn Southern, who openly used AI to assist in producing her debut album in 2018? We sought clarification on these instances from the Recording Academy and will update this article once we hear back.

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Irrespective of the awards, Mason recognized the transformative potential of AI in the music industry. “AI will undeniably play a pivotal role in shaping our industry’s future,” Mason observed. “We need to start strategizing around this and understanding its implications for us. How can we adapt and establish boundaries and standards? There’s a lot that needs to be contemplated concerning AI and its impact on our industry.” The CEO further mentioned that the Recording Academy recently organized a summit involving “industry leaders, tech entrepreneurs, streaming platforms, and artist community representatives” to explore the future of AI in music. “We held a discourse on the topic and discussed how the Recording Academy can assist: our potential role and the implications of AI for music’s future.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about AI-produced music

More about AI-produced music

• Grammy Awards Official Site
• Harvey Mason Jr. Interview on AI in Music
• Overview of AI in Music
• The Impact of AI on the Music Industry
• The ‘Fake Drake’ Phenomenon