Creators will be able to self-declare with an “AI Persona” badge. Otherwise, the streaming giant will identify and label the affected profiles itself.
Spotify will start putting “AI Persona” badges on the profiles of artists whose music is generated by artificial intelligence.
The new policy will officially go into effect in mid-September, but the people behind these AI artists can self-declare starting August 11. Otherwise, Spotify will examine, identify and label the affected profiles itself. Music from profiles bearing the AI Persona badge will no longer appear in any of the platform’s editorial or algorithmic recommendations (it may, however, appear in personalized recommendations, if the user follows the artist in question).
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In a press release, Spotify indicates that it will target the profiles of artists who appear to use “AI-generated photorealistic identities”. The platform will focus first on artists “having reached defined audience thresholds, so that the labels cover the vast majority of profiles that users consult”.
The AI Persona badge will appear on artist profiles, but also in search results and on playlist title lines. Users will also be able to see if the person behind the AI artist has chosen to self-declare, or if Spotify has intervened “to examine the case and make an informed decision”. Artists tagged by Spotify will be able to self-declare retrospectively — or appeal the decision in the event of an error.
Streaming services have experienced an explosion in AI-generated music in recent years: several artificial personas, such as Sienna Rose or Velvet Sundown, have accumulated millions of plays. Spotify has already rolled out tools like AI Credits and SongDNA to help identify music created with AI tools, and says the new badge answers the question of “if a profile represents a real human being”. According to the platform, listeners overwhelmingly indicated that they “don’t like finding out that an artist profile that appears human is actually an AI-generated persona”.
The company has, however, drawn criticism for other AI-related initiatives. In July, Lorde called out Spotify’s “About the Song” feature, which appeared to have used AI to generate false information about “Current Affairs,” from her album Virgin. A Spotify spokesperson acknowledged the error, specifying that the tool was still in beta.
