The Beatles song Now and Then just made history for being the first AI-assisted song to be nominated for a Grammy. Released in November 2023, almost 50 years after the famous band broke up, the song features a previously unreleased recording of the late John Lennon singing and playing piano. Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, shared the recording with the rest of the Beatles after his death.

Using advanced machine learning software, engineers were able to isolate Lennon’s voice from the piano track. Over many years, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison worked on the song and eventually added their parts, creating a new Beatles song featuring all four band members.

Although AI was used in the production of Now and Then, it fits within the guidelines for the Grammys that states that “only human creators are eligible” and that work featuring “elements of AI material” is allowed in certain categories.

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The nomination comes at a time when the music industry is struggling to define the appropriate use of AI and how it can impact creativity and authenticity in music production. The Grammy recognition also highlights how an AI-assisted song can open up new forms of innovation and creative expression, while honoring the artists’ legacy. AI is increasingly used in the music industry, although not everyone is a fan of it.

The Beatles’ use is perhaps more acceptable to many fans because it does not fake Lennon’s voice, but simply cleans up a recording of it. A more controversial issue involved the 2023 song. Heart on my sleeve from musician Ghostwriter, who used AI to imitate the voices of Drake and The Weeknd without their knowledge or permission. The song was submitted for two Grammy Awards, but was ultimately determined to be ineligible.

TO 12 minute short film was produced for Now and Then and follows McCartney, Starr and Harrison meeting in 1994 to work on the song. But after Harrison’s death in 2001, the song remained largely untouched again until 2022.

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By then, filmmaker Peter Jackson and his team, while working on the Beatles documentary series Return – developed a way to isolate Lennon’s voice from the rest of the recording. McCartney eventually recorded some bass; Starr added drums; Harrison’s previously recorded guitar parts were mixed; and finally, strings were added.

“We’ve all played on it, so it’s a genuine Beatles recording,” McCartney said in the short documentary.

Lennon’s son Sean said in the film that he was deeply moved by the process that turned his father’s voice into part of a new Beatles song.

“My dad would have loved that because he was never shy about experimenting with recording technology,” Sean Lennon said. “I think it’s really beautiful.”

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He added: “It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo will be able to do together.”

Now and Then is nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys, facing competition from Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Charli XCX. He also earned a nomination for Best Rock Performance, where he will compete against artists like Green Day and Pearl Jam.