The Fab Four broke up more than half-a-century ago and only two members are living, but they are among the contenders for the Grammy celebrating the year’s best record, a head-scratching nomination that highlights the Recording Academy’s ongoing debate on how to handle artificial intelligence.
That isn not the case: Now and Then was made using “stem separation,“ a type of AI technology that allowed for cleaning up the decades old, lo-fi demo plagued by excess noise.
Creators then added electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by the late George Harrison, completing the song with drums from Ringo Starr and bass, piano and slide guitar from Paul McCartney, along with additional backing vocals.
Question of ethics
The Academy released a ruling in 2023 that “only human creators are eligible” to be considered for Grammys.
But, it adds, “a work that features elements of AI material (ie, material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable categories.”
Songs touched by AI tools that polish rather than create – like Now and Then – can be considered.
Slippery slope
She said the tool is used routinely enough that the shock in media coverage over its use on the Beatles song was a bit overwrought.
The questions are far-reaching and “it is certainly a slippery slope,“ she said. “You have people learning about what’s possible more and more.”
At the forefront of artists’ concerns are issues like their work being used without clear permission or to train AI software, or their likeness being forged, with Bragg calling those examples “definitely part of the slippery slope category.”
“There’s a lot of bad that can come to artists from AI, but this is an example of something really good,“ she said.
The announcement that The Beatles were in the running for one of the top Grammys triggered some eyerolls from industry watchers and social media users over the nomination of a legacy act alongside, or instead of, contemporary acts.
For one thing, Bragg noted that the prize for Record of the Year goes to song engineers and producers as well as the artists.
Several of the acts up for the prize have been nominated before but never won it, including Beyonce, Lamar and...The Beatles.
It’s the group’s fifth chance in the category; the last time was in 1971, for Let It Be. – AFP
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