Country’s Charts Boot AI Hits To Protect Real Artists

Official music charts Down Under just cracked down on artificial intelligence-generated music.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) established the new rules in response to Australian DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer,” which was created using generative AI, BBC reported. The cover song reached number two on Australia’s overall singles chart, #1 on ARIA’s Dance Singles chart and more than 48 million Spotify streams before the Australian ban.

The association’s rules state that a song will not be featured in ARIA Charts if it is “not substantially human created, including where artificial intelligence is used to generate the entirety or the primary portion of the creative elements of the Title or Product,” ARIA said in its updated Code. 

“These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is — to say the least — a rapidly developing space,” ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said, according to ARIA’s Tuesday announcement. “A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent.”

The music industry body clarified that it is aware musicians use AI tools in their work and is only banning fully AI-generated music, according to ARIA’s Aug. 25 announcement. The organization also updated its disputes process to allow artists the opportunity to advocate for their music if it is excluded from ARIA’s Charts.

ARIA and Josh each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Fawaz’s cover, posted to YouTube, does not mention AI use to create the song, so it is unclear precisely how AI was used in its creation. However, Fawaz included generative AI in the song credits following backlash, according to BBC.

Likewise, the Australian government was previously very critical of AI use in artistic works.

“No company should use Australian creative works to train AI without the artist’s control,” the Australian government said in a July 15 press release. “This world leading framework is about Australia choosing to shape the future rather than letting the future of AI shape us,” Asutralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in the same press release.

Sweden similarly banned a song, titled “I Know, You’re Not Mine” when translated to English, from the country’s music charts after learning it an AI-generated project called “JACUB JACUB,” BBC reported.