The Grammys set limits on the use of AI in music

The Recording Academy recently updated the eligibility rules for the Grammys to protect human creation in the face of AI. Photography Don Emmert / AFP

In the music industry, the use of artificial intelligence is rekindling fears that algorithms will replace artists. This has prompted the Grammy Awards to take a stand ahead of its next edition.

The Recording Academy, the professional organization that presents these famous music awards each year, recently updated the rules of eligibility for the Grammys in the aim of protecting human creation. The eligibility criteria now stipulate that only flesh-and-blood artists can compete for one of these awards. According to the new rules, "a work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any categories" of the Grammy Awards.

The American organization does, however, stipulate that musical works with "elements of AI material" are eligible, but only under certain conditions. Thus, "the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis," and this human input must also be "relevant" to the category in which the creation is entered. In other words, a song entered in the songwriting category must have "meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics."

At a time when songs generated by artificial intelligence are raising many questions about respect for intellectual property, the Grammys' new rules suggest that the creator or creators of these algorithms are not eligible for its prizes.

These new eligibility criteria will be in force for the 66th Grammy Awards, to be held next year in Los Angeles. As yet, no nominees have been announced, and it remains to be seen whether artificial intelligence will make an appearance at the music industry's most coveted awards ceremony.

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A passing trend or a revolution in the making?

Still, there's no doubt that the arrival of this new technology is already shaking up the industry. A fake song by Drake and The Weeknd, composed by artificial intelligence, scored millions of views on TikTok, while the French DJ David Guetta used two AI tools to write a track imitating the voice and the style of American rapper Eminem. He posted a short extract on social networks, for "fun," while declaring that he has no intention of releasing the track commercially.

So is this just a passing fad or the sign of a genuine revolution in musical creation? The question is still open to debate. By all accounts, no song produced by artificial intelligence software can rival those composed by human artists. But they are nevertheless swelling the catalogs of music streaming platforms, much to the dismay of real-world artists, who are already struggling to be seen and, above all, heard on these platforms.

The prospect of an AI-dominated music industry is prompting artists, record labels, streaming services and trade organizations to mobilize. In March, the Recording Academy was one of the signatories of a high-profile open letter calling for a six-month "pause" in the development of artificial intelligence software. According to Harvey Mason, CEO of the Recording Academy, this symbolic step underlines the need to regulate the use of these programs in the music industry. "AI is going to absolutely, unequivocally have a hand in shaping the future of our industry. The idea of being caught off guard by it and not addressing it is unacceptable," he said in an interview published on the Grammys website.