In an unprecedented move, a "collaboration" between Drake and the Weeknd has been submitted for Grammy consideration.
Titled "Heart on My Sleeve," this track is an extraordinary feat in modern music with one notable exception: Neither Drake nor the Weeknd had any involvement in its creation.
A mysterious AI-generated song went viral in April, and its creator, Ghostwriter, is now vying for the Grammy Awards' highest honor - despite being a fictional duet.
Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of Recording Academy, told The New York Times that the song is eligible because it was composed by a person.
The New York Times has reported that the esteemed team behind Ghostwriter has put forth their hit single "Heart on My Sleeve" for both Song of the Year and Best Rap Song at this year's awards show.
It is understood that despite being sung by computer-generated vocals, the lyrics were penned by the Ghostwriters, not the performers.
As such, these two awards acknowledge songwriters rather than those who take to the stage.
However, even though a song may have met the creative criteria to be considered eligible for a Grammy award, there is still an additional requirement.
The track must possess what is known as "generation distribution," which refers to its availability across various outlets - including brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers, and streaming services.
At first, the track was available to view and listen to on YouTube and streaming services. However, Universal Music soon removed it from those sites with takedown notices. Yet again, the song can be heard on streaming services, this time uploaded by unofficial sources across the internet.
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Despite copyright issues, making "Heart on My Sleeve" commercially viable is complex. The Times reported that Ghostwriter's representative acknowledged the need for the commercialization of the song.
Mason recently shed light upon the Academy's changes to AI protocols, with the Grammy Chairman outlining his sentiments in an interview with Variety in July.
He stated, "We are not going to be rewarding a computer or somebody that uses Artificial Intelligence - we are celebrating human creativity and achievements here. The award stands for excellence that actual people have produced."
The Recording Academy recently addressed the issue of Artificial Intelligence with a lengthy new rule stating, among other things, that no work lacking human authorship is eligible for any awards.
However, it is still possible to use AI assistance in some instances - as evidenced by Paul McCartney's example of utilizing computer technology to revamp an old John Lennon vocal track for a "new" Beatles song.
