Australia bans AI-generated songs from its music charts, requiring human contribution to dominate

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has decided to exclude songs generated entirely by artificial intelligence from its official charts, a move aimed at keeping human creativity at the heart of the music industry.

Under the new rules, a work will not be eligible for inclusion in the ARIA Awards charts unless it is “predominantly human-made” and does not raise suspicions of manipulation regarding streaming numbers or song rankings.

However, the decision does not constitute a complete ban on the use of artificial intelligence. Artists will still be able to use AI in supporting roles, such as audio processing or mastering, provided that humans remain fundamentally responsible for writing, performing, and producing the work.

The rules will take effect with the chart dated August 31, 2026. The association can disqualify or retrospectively remove a non-compliant song, adjust the chart rankings, and withdraw any awards or certifications it may have received.

The decision comes amid a growing influx of AI-generated music on streaming platforms. An analysis covering more than one million tracks found that 23.2% of the releases examined in July were entirely AI-generated, while another 15.3% contained AI-generated vocals that were edited by humans.

Thus, Australia is drawing a clear line: AI can assist musicians, but it cannot fully replace them.