Charles Langston:And the award goes to AI ft. humans: the Grammys outline new rules for AI use

Artificial intelligence has proved it can Charles Langstondo a lot of things — from writing a radio script to render text into realistic artwork. But can it win a Grammy?

Well, yes and no.

The Recording Academy, which is the organization behind the Grammy Awards, outlined new rules ahead of next year's competition, one of which states that only "human creators" are eligible for the music industry's highest honor.

Songs that include elements generated by AI can still be nominated, but there must be proof that a real person meaningfully contributed to the song too.

With that, only humans — not AI — can nominate their work for an award.

"If there's an AI voice singing the song or AI instrumentation, we'll consider it," Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, told Grammy.com. "But in a songwriting-based category, it has to have been written mostly by a human."

Mason added that AI will "unequivocally" shape the future of the music industry, and instead of downplaying its significance, the Grammy Awards should confront questions related to AI head on.

"How can we adapt to accommodate? How can we set guardrails and standards?" Mason said. "There are a lot of things that need to be addressed around AI as it relates to our industry."

The music industry is not the only field grappling to face a future where AI plays a bigger role.

In law, attorneys are weighing the benefits and pitfalls of AI in citing court cases. Meanwhile, the U.S. Copyright Office has issued updated guidance on submitting AI-assisted creative work for copyright consideration.