Spotify’s new badge identifies human artists as AI music floods include

With AI ever more capable of producing photorealistic images, seemingly genuine videos and author-like text, it’s getting harder to distinguish human-generated art and other content from large language model fare. 

When it comes to music, Spotify said Thursday it wants to help users tell the difference. The audio streaming platform has launched a certification tool that indicates whether a song was created by a person or AI.

Called “Verified by Spotify,” the new badge identifies human artists to give listeners “more insight and transparency into the music and artists you’re discovering,” the company said in a statement.

The badge appears on profiles of artists who’ve been vetted by the platform and determined to be human. To receive the badge, Spotify said that “signals of a real artist” must be represented in an uploader’s profile. 

Spotify itself has drawn fire from critics for allowing AI-generated music to proliferate on its platform, which they say harms artists and devalues human-created content. Now, the streaming giant is highlighting the importance of distinguishing between the two.

“In the AI era, it’s more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to,” the company said. “At Spotify, our focus is providing you with more context about artists and their music, so you can build more meaningful connections with them.”

To help spot AI slop, Spotify also said it will “look for an identifiable artist presence both on and off-platform, like concert dates, merch and linked social accounts on their artist profile.” Profiles adjudged to represent AI-generated or “AI-persona” artists will not receive a verified badge, the company also noted.

Spotify said it will verify artists on an ongoing basis, while noting that some authentic artists may not immediately receive the badge as the new tool rolls out. “Not seeing the badge on an artist profile doesn’t mean they won’t receive it in the future,” the company said. 

AI is already making a splash in creative industries, while its full impact has yet to be realized. An AI-generated actor called Tilly Norwood stirred controversy last year. Her creator, Eline Van der Velden, founder of an AI talent studio, defended the character, which she called “a piece of art” not intended to replace human beings in a post on Instagram.

Marketers are also turning to AI to create realistic-looking models and to make ads for their products.