A viral track from the anonymous producer \u201cGhostwriter\u201d using an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated vocal track of the rapper Drake has been submitted for consideration for a Grammy award, according to a Sept. 5 New York Times report.<\/p>\n
The track \u201cHeart on My Sleeve\u201d has been submitted by the Ghostwriter team to the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammys, for nomination in Best Rap Song and Song of the Year, a representative told the NYTs. <\/p>\n
In both of those categories, the award is attributed to the songwriter, who was also confirmed by the Ghostwriter representative to be a human.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier this year the Grammys updated its policy for awards in the upcoming award season saying that music with AI-generated components is eligible for an award. The catch is that the category for which the track is nominated must be for a human-created portion of the song. <\/p>\n
The CEO of the Grammys, Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed this saying music with AI elements is \u201cabsolutely eligible\u201d for Grammy nomination. He reiterated that to the NYTs regarding the Ghostwriter AI-Drake track saying: <\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as the creative side, it\u2019s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He also pointed out that the Academy also looks at whether or not the song was commercially available, which is a component of Grammy rules that says a track must have \u201cgeneral distribution\u201d to be eligible, which includes availability on streaming platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Related: <\/u><\/em><\/strong>AI can be a \u2018creative amplifier\u2019 \u2014 Grammy chief exec Harvey Mason Jr.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
However, \u201cHeart on My Sleeve\u201d was removed from all major streaming services, despite industry experts saying that its use of AI fell into a \u201clegal gray area.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cointelegraph reached out to the Recording Academy for further comment on the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in April, Universal Music Group, one of the industry\u2019s most prominent record labels, sent out a mass email to major streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music, requesting they block AI services from harvesting melodies and lyrics from copyrighted songs and remove songs in violation of copyright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shortly after, Spotify was reported to have ramped up policing of tracks in violation of copyright infringement on its platform, as well as blocking artificial streaming of songs to increase listen count. <\/p>\n