Parody singer "Weird Al" Yankovic had a hilarious response to the Grammy's excluding Artificial Intelligence (AI) music eligibility this year.
In an effort to be more inclusive, the Recording Academy of the United States made notable adjustments, including expanding eligibility requirements and adding new categories.
However, that did not extend to recognizing AI music–an increasing trend in which new music is created or popular songs are covered using a voice that sounds exactly like a famous artist.
The threat of recording companies no longer requiring authentic live voices to make money has drawn criticism from music artists such as Ice Cube, who threatened to take legal action if someone created new music using a voice that sounded exactly like his.
Yankovic–who rose to prominence in the 80s by parodying pop songs like Michael Jackson's "Beat It," called "Eat It"–posted a tweet quoting the latest awards ceremony headline:
“Grammys exclude AI from winning awards: Only ‘human creators’ eligible.”
He added:
“Ugh. I keep telling them… I AM human!!!”
\u201cUgh. I keep telling them\u2026 I AM human!!!\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
Fans shared their humorous responses.
\u201c@alyankovic Well considering you. Some people have wondered if you're not an alien in disguise.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Hear me out AI Yankovic and you sing with Siri\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Go by Allen; they will never suspect a thing.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Superhumans not allowed.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Show'em what's up and change your name to WeirdGPT >=V\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic We know what's at steak\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
There were those who found it perplexing to differentiate between the upper case "L" and the lower case "i."
\u201c@alyankovic Always the issue of mistaking the capital i with the capital l in the internet... I swear, hand-written 'L's and 'I's are so different by appearance they are easy to differentiate from each other.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Glad I'm not the only one who sees AL everytime I read AI\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic We have to start using typefaces that distinguish capital \ud835\udc3c from lowercase \ud835\udc59, like Mittelschrift.\n\nThere's a video for the song "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me" that displays the lyrics in Mittelschrift. Uhhhh... whose song was it again? \ud83d\ude09\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic THANK YOU!\nEvery. Single. Time. I see \u201cAI\u201d I read it as \u201cAl\u201d and think of you.\nEven the local \u201cSushi AI\u201d place!\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
Some maintained he was irreplaceable.
\u201c@alyankovic I have a feeling an A.I would melt down trying to imitate you. Some things only a human can do.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Having been a fan since I first heard you on the Doctor Demento show back in the mid 80's (Woo-woo-woo: wind up your radios!), I firmly believe there are Grammy winners far less deserving than you - and I'm certain six out of five monkeys would agree! Also, UHF is a cult classic!\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
While others needed more convincing he was a real human person.
\u201c@alyankovic @seananmcguire Ridiculous!\n\nOn an unrelated note, can you point out all the images with bridges in them?\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Tap this please.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic Alright how about this. If you can read back all the characters in this image, we'll give you awards again.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic @GlitchesRoux Yeah I always wondered why you called yourself Weird Artificial Intelligence\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic You sure about that, I saw you in concert and there\u2019s no way a man can sing so many great songs at once\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
\u201c@alyankovic I'm sorry, but the eyes are a giveaway.\u201d— Al Yankovic (@Al Yankovic) 1687021173
Considering Yankovic is the winner of five Grammys and has been nominated for them 16 times, it's safe to assume he's the real deal.
The Bulwark
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