The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has announced a ban on songs entirely created by artificial intelligence from the country’s official charts and annual music awards. 

ARIA said under its updated Charts Code of Practice that songs using AI would only be eligible for the charts if they were mainly created by humans and have no evidence of streaming or chart manipulation.

The new regulations will be officially applied to the chart on August 31 from the published chart on Friday, August 28.

ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd, said the changes were introduced to promote and protect human creativity and artistry, while providing people who release music in Australia with clear rules to follow. 

“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. Artists already use AI tools in their work, the Charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter,” Ms Herd said.

“The ARIA Charts will always remain a transparent measurement of the music Australia consumes, but a chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent. 

“We have worked closely with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and a number of international industry bodies to understand how to best implement these changes in a way that is both clear and future-facing,” she added.

“This gives everyone who releases music in Australia a clear rule to work to. We call on all parties who have a role in deciding the music played and promoted to Australian audiences, particularly radio, to support human artistry and implement similar changes across their own codes.”

The decision comes following the release of an AI-generated version of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ by Australian DJ and producer Josh Fawaz. 

The song sparked widespread debate over human creativity as it reached No. 4 on two ARIA charts and became the country’s most-played song on radio in July.