Spotify asks creators to label songs when they’re AI-generated

The world’s largest music streaming service said it wants customers to know which songs were created by real artists and which ones artificially. The company won’t recommend songs labeled as AI Personas in suggested playlists unless the subscriber specifically chooses to receive them. 

The company will allow artists to identify their creations as AI-generated starting on Aug. 11, with the labels appearing on songs starting in mid-September. 

Users can flag songs they think were AI-generated. Artists who believe their songs are mislabeled as AI will have a chance to appeal. 

“Listeners have been clear in telling us that they don’t like seeing an artist profile that seems human, only to find out that the persona is AI-generated,” the company said in announcing the initiative on Tuesday. 

The music industry has been wrestling with the new technology, which allows musical novices to create professional-sounding songs in seconds. Last year, a fake band called the Velvet Sundown sparked a debate about transparency, when streams of the group’s music took off and the creators even distributed AI-generated photos of the imaginary musicians.

Spotify has been rolling out a suite of AI-related products, including AI Credits, which allows artists to identify how they used AI in their work.