New regulation accepts the requests put forward by Italian body FIMI, keeping songs in competition firmly in the hands of human authors and artists For the first time in its history, the iconic Sanremo Music Festival – cornerstone of Italian musical tradition since 1951 – has written explicit limits on generative AI into its rules. Under the regulation for its 77th edition coming on mid-February 2027, lyrics and music must be the exclusive result of human creativy, excluding AI systems that could replace or distort the primary human contribution as request by Italian body FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana, the Italian national group of IFPI represents the Italian recording industry. Sanremo Music Festival is an authority among the music sector: broadcast live by Rai over five evenings, the 2026 edition reached an average of just over 10 million viewers and a 63% share across the five nights, with the final night drawing 11 million viewers and a 68.8% share while in terms of total reach it achieved an extraordinary amount of 86% of the Italian population. The 77th edition will take place under the artistic direction of Stefano De Martino, with 24 songs in competition not yet disclosed. The decision made by Italy’s most important music event (also the model that inspired the Eurovision Song Contest) marks a significant watershed in the history of musical events, acknowledging the pervasiveness of the new technology which – if misused – jeopardizes human artists and their copyright and personality rights. The Festival’s...