Aria prohibits fully ai-generated music from charting, emphasizes human creativity

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has announced a new rule banning songs entirely created by artificial intelligence from appearing in official music charts, effective next Monday. The decision followed the success of a song that used AI-generated vocals and drum beats to replicate Madonna's 'Like a Prayer,' which spent 16 consecutive weeks in the top 20 of Australia's charts and reached number two on the single chart. This incident brought the role of generative AI in the music industry into sharp focus. Under the new guidelines, songs must be primarily created, sung, and performed by humans to be eligible for chart inclusion. Works that use AI assistance for production are still allowed, provided they use legitimate AI services. This approach aligns with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's principle of 'primarily created by humans,' which was established in July. The rule also addresses controversies surrounding AI tools trained on unauthorized works from streaming platforms. Dr. Weaver, a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, praised the decision as 'a very good step,' emphasizing that while it is difficult to completely avoid AI, human control over key creative decisions remains essential. The boundary set by ARIA is seen as creating a protected space for human creativity amid the growing influence of AI in the industry.