Grammys CEO on new AI guidelines: Music that contains elements created by AI is eligible. ‘Period.’

LOS ANGELES (AP) Last month, the Recording Academy announced a number of changes to the Grammy Awards to better reflect an evolving music industry. Of those recently established guidelines, protocols involving technological advances in machine learning wild headlines: Only human creators could win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music.

A work that does not contain human authorship is not eligible in any category, the rules are read in part.

As the music industry continues to grapple with this new technology, so will the Grammys, says Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason Jr.

The Grammy Awards return to Los Angeles on the first Sunday in February. The Recording Academy has announced several key dates ahead of its 66th annual show honoring the best in music.

More changes are afoot at the Grammys. The Recording Academy announced on Tuesday that three new categories will be added to the awards: Best Pop Dance Recording, Best African Music Performance and Best Alternative Jazz Album.

Grammy-winning pianist George Winston has passed away. Winston blended jazz, classical, folk and other styles on million-selling albums such as Autumn, Winter Into Spring and December.

Here’s the super simple statement from the title: AI, or music that contains elements created by AI, is absolutely eligible for entry and consideration for a Grammy nomination. Period, Mason told the Associated Press. What’s not going to happen is we’re not going to give a Grammy or Grammy nomination to the AI ​​part.

If a voice modeling or AI program does the lead vocals on a song, the track would qualify in a songwriting category, for example, but not a performance category, because what it’s performing isn’t human creation. , explains. Conversely, if a song was sung by a real human in the studio, and they performed the entire performance, but AI wrote the lyrics or track, the song would not be eligible in a composition or songwriting category.

As long as the human contributes more than de minimis, which for us means significantly, they are and always will be considered for a nomination or a win, he continued. We don’t want technology to replace human creativity. We want to make sure that technology is enhancing, embellishing or adding to human creativity. That’s why we’ve taken this particular position in this awards cycle.

The Recording Academy has long considered making AI-related rules following the popularity of new songs created in conjunction with AI technology: David Guetta is Emin-AI-emthe AI ​​compositions of TikTok user @ghostwriter977Grimes Voice modeling AI software.

In order to establish its AI guidelines, the Recording Academy engaged in extensive research, including holding technology summits.

I met with the copyright office. We’ve talked about the future and what it looks like at the federal and legislative levels, Mason said, adding that conversations around AI have really come to a head over the past six months.

The new Grammy protocols were announced three days after Paul McCartney shared them the latest album by the Beatles it had been composed using artificial intelligence to extract John Lennon’s vocals from an old demo. Without knowing the extent of the technology, Mason couldn’t confirm or deny whether the song would be eligible for a Grammy nomination.

Well, look what it turns out to be, he said. But I guess from the first descriptions I’ve heard there would be components of creation that would be absolutely permissible.

So, can Grammy viewers expect to see at least partially AI-created work nominated for an award as early as next year?

It is impossible to predict what is being sent. But as Mason says, people use technology. I imagine he’s going to be involved with a lot of records and a lot of songs this year, so we’ll see if some of them get nominated or not, but I’m sure there will be a few that get featured.

The 2024 Grammy Awards will return to the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Sunday 4 February 2024broadcast live on CBS and live streamed on Paramount+.