The organisation that oversees the famous Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy, recently published a new set of guidelines for the 66th annual ceremony. These regulations aim to create precise eligibility requirements while addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music production. The Recording Academy is taking proactive steps to control artificial intelligence's position in the music industry while the entertainment industry as a whole continues to dispute its influence and effects.
Only human creators may be considered, nominated, and awarded a Grammy Award, according to the Academy's recently revealed standards. According to the organisation, any work without human authorship is ineligible for consideration in any category.
However, a musical piece is not automatically disqualified from consideration if it has AI components.
The regulations also state that the human component in the proposed work must be significant and not insignificant. The human authorship of the work must be appropriate for the category into which it is submitted. For instance, if a piece is entered in the songwriting area, the music and/or lyrics must have a significant human contribution. Similar requirements apply if the work is entered in a performance category; the performance must involve a significant amount of human engagement.
Additionally, the creators of any AI-related content included in the work are not eligible for nomination or awarding of a Grammy, specifically for their involvement in the AI-related portion of the work. The Academy defines "de minimis" as being without significance or importance, or being so insignificant as to be ignored.
The Recording Academy has altered the number of nominations in the most important categories in addition to addressing the role of AI. There are now just eight nominees for Album, Song, Record, and Best New Artist instead of the previous ten.
The criteria for the Album of the Year category have also changed. A music creator must now contribute at least 20% of the record in order to be nominated in this category. Previously, anyone who contributed to the album, regardless of their level of engagement, was nominated, including producers, songwriters, engineers, and featured artists.
