While noting that artificial intelligence is rapidly entering the entertainment industry, the Grammys announced that only “human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration,” which means that AI-generated music will be ineligible for Grammy nominations at their 2023 ceremony.
“Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award. A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any Category,” the Academy says.
If the music contains some AI elements, it may be eligible for nominations if it meets the following criteria: “The human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; such human authorship component must be relevant to the category in which such work is entered (e.g., if the work is submitted in a songwriting category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics; if the work is submitted in a performance category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the performance); and the author(s) of any AI material incorporated into the work are not eligible to be nominees or Grammy recipients insofar as their contribution to the portion of the work that consists of such AI material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.”
The controversy surrounding the Grammys rule change and its impact on nominees
Coincidentally, the new Grammys rule was announced the same week that Paul McCartney disclosed that he employed artificial intelligence to create the “Final Beatles song.”
The Grammys recently altered the criteria for its highest award, Album of the Year. Previously, any producer, songwriter, or featured artist on an album may be nominated for this award, even if the artist only co-wrote one track on a 10- or 12-track album. The Recording Academy has now announced that to be nominated, music creators must be a part of at least 20% of an album.
The Academy declared in 2021 that any songwriter or producer could be nominated for the top honor. While some applauded the decision since it allowed more artists to proclaim themselves “Grammy-nominated,” many others criticized the change since it meant that several nominees could compete for the category.
Other minor modifications
The Grammys’ top four awards, album, song, and record of the year, as well as best new artist, will be trimmed to eight nominees from ten. The Award for best-improvised jazz solo has been renamed the Award for best jazz performance. The category of Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) has been renamed Best Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano). Last month, the Academy’s Board of Trustees approved the new guidelines.