Los Angeles has hosted the first AI Music Awards ceremony, a music prize for compositions created with the help of artificial intelligence and for the people involved in making them.
The main winner was the virtual R&B performer Xania Monet.
Xania Monet received three main awards: "Artist of the Year", "Song of the Year" and "Album of the Year". The virtual persona was created by Telisha "Nikki" Jones. She writes the lyrics herself and then uses AI to turn them into musical compositions.
One of the project's songs, How Was I Supposed to Know?, attracted the music industry's attention after entering a Billboard radio chart. According to Jones, music created with the help of AI has become a new phenomenon that listeners will have to get used to.
The ceremony took place against the backdrop of ongoing disputes over copyright and fears that generative AI could reduce demand for the work of musicians, songwriters, producers and sound engineers.
At the same time, the organisers and participants of the awards stress the role of humans in creating such music. Music producer Drake Murphy said:
"In a world where some call AI 'fake', the person behind it is very real."
The winners were chosen by musicians who use AI and are members of the Sonic Intelligence Academy. The organisation also develops music charts and tools for identifying compositions created with the help of artificial intelligence.
Supporters of the technology believe it allows people who lack specialist training or skills to bring their musical ideas to life.
"A lot of what we do behind the scenes is hard work, contrary to popular belief… Art is art, and I think this is just another expression of it," says one of the nominees, J. Frequent.
