Sweden Boots No. 1 Song From Official Music Charts

Sweden's biggest song of the year so far just got kicked off the Nordic nation's charts—mainly because the "singer" isn't human. The BBC reports that "Jag Vet, Du Ar Inte Min" ("I Know, You're Not Mine") by Jacub has racked up more than 5 million Spotify streams and sits atop the platform's Swedish "Top 50" playlist, but the country's music industry group has barred it from the official national rankings after determining it's largely AI-generated. The Guardian notes that the song is one of six tracks on the Karleken ar Brand (Love Is Burned) EP.

Investigative journalist Emanuel Karlsten found Jacub had no real-world footprint and traced the song's registration to executives at Denmark's Stellar Music, including staff in its AI division, per the BBC. Those behind the project, who call themselves Team Jacub, told Karlsten they're not just "[pressing] a button," describing AI as a tool in a human-led creative process and insisting the emotions and stories in Jacub's music come from real people. IFPI Sweden isn't persuaded, however, with its chief asserting that songs that are "mainly AI-generated" don't qualify for the national rankings. NME notes that other AI songs have also climbed the charts, including from creator "Sienna Rose," which apparently tricked even Selena Gomez.