A Grammy can go to an AI-assisted track, never to AI itself

The audio task

A producer who used an AI voice model or AI-generated instrumentation somewhere in a recording wants to know whether that recording can still be submitted for Grammy consideration, and if so, who exactly would be eligible to win. The Recording Academy addressed this directly while amending its rules for the 66th Grammy Awards, known publicly as the 2024 Grammys.

What the documents show

In a 17 June 2023 interview published on grammy.com, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. is quoted stating the new Grammy Awards rules read: 'Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award.' He states AI music and content 'will be allowed to be submitted,' but that a Grammy will only go to human creators who 'contributed creatively in the appropriate categories'; an AI voice or AI instrumentation may appear on a submitted recording, but a songwriting-category win still requires a song 'written mostly by a human,' and a performance-category win still requires a human performer. A companion 13 June 2023 press release confirms these amendments, alongside new award categories, were voted on and passed at the Academy's Board of Trustees meeting held in May 2023.

Rights status

This is the Recording Academy's own eligibility rule for its own award, not a copyright determination. The rule distinguishes AI-assisted human creativity, which remains eligible, from content with no meaningful human creative contribution, which does not qualify a person for nomination even if the underlying recording is submitted. Neither document states that any specific past nominee used AI in a way that would have affected their eligibility; the rule is prospective and general.

What to check before you use it

This is an editorial checklist. Before submitting a recording that used AI tools, an artist or label should check the current, full Grammy Awards Rules and Guidelines Book rather than relying on a 2023 interview summary, since the Academy states its rules are amended annually. A submission involving an AI voice model should also confirm which specific category's human-contribution threshold applies, since the standard differs between songwriting, performance and other fields.

• Which category am I submitting to, and what is its current human-contribution threshold under the Rules and Guidelines Book?
• Does my recording's AI element sit in the performance, the songwriting, or the production layer, since the rule treats these differently?
• Have the AI eligibility rules been amended again since this June 2023 update?

The Recording Academy's rule change gives a clear line between AI-assisted and AI-authored contributions for awards purposes, but it is an eligibility criterion for one organisation's prize, not a general statement about copyright or artistic value.