The Australian Recording Industry Association announced on 24 August that songs generated wholly or mostly by AI are no longer eligible for its charts, effective from the chart dated 31 August. Recordings where AI produced the main creative elements, such as lead vocals or key instrumental parts, are out; human-made songs that used AI as a support tool still qualify. The test is whether a track is substantially human-made.
The trigger was a hit: Josh Fawaz's dance cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer", with AI vocals and drums, reached No. 2 on the singles chart in May. It won't automatically be removed. ARIA will weigh human involvement, lawful use of tools and any sign of chart manipulation, and artists can contest exclusions, so the rule works case by case.
Chief executive Annabelle Herd framed it as evolution: artists already use AI tools and the charts should keep room for that, while refusing to reward music generated mainly by machines. It follows the substantially-human standard the international recording body set out in July.
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