What is ‘Heart on My Sleeve,’ the Drake and The Weeknd AI song submitted for the Grammys?

Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic of conversation in recent months, with this type of technology becoming more advanced and available to the masses. Should the masses ever be trusted with something so potentially dangerous? That’s an important question, but one for another day. For now, we must focus on the many uses of AI and how it’s drastically changing the creation and consumption of media.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see AI-generated images floating around online. Take the Donald Trump arrest fakes, for example, or the Scarlett Johansson as Harry Potter‘s Bellatrix images. Sometimes, AI can lead to hilariously horrendous results, as is the case with its bizarre version of Seinfeld, but what happens when it actually results in something decent? It gets considered for the Grammy Awards, apparently.

Recently, the person behind an AI song submitted the track for the Grammys, in an attempt to get The Academy’s recognition for their work. Ever since the news broke, the track in question — titled “Heart on My Sleeve” — has been gaining popularity, as more and more people become aware of its existence. Naturally, folks can’t help but wonder what this whole situation is about (and wish to give it a listen).

What is the AI-generated “Heart on My Sleeve” song?

Created by someone who goes simply by Ghostwriter, “Heart on My Sleeve” is a song that uses Drake and The Weeknd‘s voices for a duet. Of course, neither of the musicians has had any involvement in the track, as the voices we hear are mere AI-generated fakes. While the similarity to their actual voices impresses many listeners, this only makes its submission for the Grammys even more bonkers.

One can argue all day about the decision to allow AI works to be submitted, but the fact is that, according to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., this is fair game. As he told the New York Times, Ghostwriter’s song is “absolutely eligible because it was written by a human.” All that’s left to do now is wait and see how the song fares in comparison to other submissions.

A new era of music is upon us, it seems. And of entertainment in general. More than ever, AI is carving out its space in the industry, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in the near future. If even entertainment giants such as Marvel and Disney are embracing the technology in high-profile projects, who can confidently say that AI won’t completely replace human work someday?