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Grammys chief updates new AI rule: no awards for computers, only for humans

The Grammys have officially drawn the line: artificial intelligence can be part of a song, but it can’t win a Grammy

After some confusion around last month’s updated rulebook, Recording Academy boss Harvey Mason Jr. has stepped in to clear the air.

Speaking to Variety, he summed it up plainly: “We’re not giving an award to a computer.”

Here’s how it works: songs that include AI elements—like cleaning up audio or voice modelling—can still be eligible, as long as the human contribution is meaningful. That means AI-generated lyrics, melodies, or fully fabricated performances don’t count. If a human didn’t do the creative heavy lifting, the track isn’t getting nominated.

“The Grammy is a human award,” Mason said. “It’s about excellence in music created by people.”

This clarification comes as AI continues to shake up the music industry, with viral tracks like Ghostwriter’s fake Drake and Weeknd duet pushing boundaries, and artists like Grimes actively encouraging AI collabs with revenue-sharing models.

Mason confirmed that even the upcoming AI-assisted Beatles track—created by cleaning up a John Lennon demo—would likely qualify under the new rules, since the core performances are still human.

The bottom line? AI can help out, but it can’t take the spotlight. For now, the Grammys are keeping their trophies firmly in human hands.

Check out the ruling in full below:

The GRAMMY Award recognizes creative excellence. 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 Categories. A work that features elements of A.I. material (i.e., material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable Categories; however: (1) the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; (2) 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 (3) the author(s) of any A.I. 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 A.I material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.