By Peter Sanders
Publication Date: 2025-11-22 21:39:00
He may not be able to play a banjo, but could a computer ever win the coveted Golden Guitar?
That’s the question the Country Music Association of Australia is grappling with after AI-generated songs were submitted for the 2026 Golden Guitar Awards.
Announcing the nominations in Sydney on Tuesday, CMAA chairman Dobe Newton said more than 280 judges made a quick decision to ban entries without human involvement after five fully generative (AI-generated) titles were submitted.
“They were not affiliated with any well-known artist or performer and, in the words of one of the judges, they were ‘crap’.”
Mr Newton said.
Mr Newton said it would be a challenge in the coming years to determine how much AI technology would be accepted in the awards.
Given these concerns, Mr Newton said he was seeking views from within the industry “far and wide”.
According to Dobe Newton, AI traces are easy to detect because of their poor quality. (Source: Tamworth Country Music Festival Youtube)
“We’ll think of something…”
