Artificial intelligence breaks into the Grammy with a song by The Beatles: This was done

Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and the Beatles? The fabulous four debuted more than fifty years ago and only two of their members still live, but they are strong candidates to take a Grammy for the best recording this year.

The nomination concerns many and highlights the debate at the Recording Academy around artificial intelligence in music

“Now and Then”, nominated for one of the most important awards of the night, was created using a type of the so -called “track separation”, which allowed the cleaning of old demos, plagued by excessive noise.

They used it to isolate the voice John Lennon of unwanted sounds in a recording, which made it usable in the final piece.

The creators later added electric and acoustic guitars recorded in 1995 by George Harrison, and completed the song with the percussion of Ringo Starr, and the bass, piano and guitar of Paul McCartney, along with additional background voices.

And the Recording Academy, in charge of the Grammy that will be held this Sunday in Los Angeles, nominated it in two categories: Best recording and best rock interpretation.

The institution has been dealing with the implications of AI technology for years, since many artists are concerned about the ethics of the music generated in this way.

In 2023, the Academy issued a ruling in which it stated that “only human creators are eligible” to compete for a Grammy.

“A work that does not contain human authorship is not eligible,” said the norms.

“A work that contains elements of AI material (that is, material generated by using artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable categories.”

Conclusion: As things are, the works created with purely generative are not eligible.

The songs played by AI tools that polish instead of creating, as is the case of “Now and Then”, could be taken into account.

“Nothing has been artificially created,” McCartney defended in reference to the piece.

“Unknown territory”

Mary Bragg, a singer -songwriter from Nashville, explained to AFP that the type of technology used in the Beatles song is quite common, and defined her creation as a milestone for producers and engineers, in addition to considering that the controversy that surrounds it has been Exaggerated.

However, Bragg argues that the implications of the tools of AI in music are “a big problem, because we move in unknown territory.”

Look: the Z generation does not look for the last iPhone or another new cell phone: this is the option you prefer

“There are more and more people who find out what is possible,” said the singer -songwriter, asking that “art integrity is preserved.”

The main concerns of the artists are to prevent their works from being used without permission or to train AI programs, or that their identity be falsified.

“That kind of thing is undoubtedly the elusive debate,” said Bragg.

Linda Bloss-Baum, a member of the Board of Directors of Composers of North America, says that many things concern him about AI, but not the technology used in the Beatles song.

“AI can be very harmful to artists, but this is an example of something really good,” he said, noting that he was done with the permission of Lennon’s family.

“The AI ​​can benefit the artists, if they wish,” he said.

“Let It Be”

The nomination of the Beatles was also questioned by critics, which considers that a space is granted to a legacy, instead of a contemporary option.

Look: Dinosaurs are older than we thought, suggest new study

But Grammy are industry awards, they are not chosen by fans, and their voters are not always in the same tune as the audience.

For example, Bragg pointed out that the recording award of the year is awarded to artists, but also honors the work of the engineers and producers of the songs.

Including the Beatles is “a wink to what will probably happen in the future in the world of recording,” he said.

It should be noted that several of the artists who opt for recording of the year were nominated in the category, but did not win, including Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar and the Beatles.

It is the fifth opportunity of the group in the category.

The last time they were nominated for her was in 1971, for “Let It Be”.