Spotify has announced a new labeling system so listeners can quickly identify artists and content generated by AI, NME reported on August 12. From mid-September, an "AI Persona" badge will appear on some profiles, in search results and on track rows across playlists, distinguishing AI-generated acts posing as human artists from real ones.
The label can be applied by creators themselves through Spotify for Artists, starting today, or by Spotify if it detects an undisclosed AI-generated artist; the company says it will also review existing pages that did not self-disclose. Artists labeled AI Persona will be excluded from personalized recommendations, and Spotify plans to let listeners report suspected AI personas later this year.
The move follows Deezer's finding last month that AI-generated music now makes up more than half of daily uploads on its platform, and an earlier study that found 97 percent of people could not tell AI music from human-made music. Deezer has also launched a tool that detects AI-generated tracks across playlists on 20 different streaming platforms.
The labels identify whether a profile represents a real person, not how a song was made; Spotify has separate tools, including Verified By Spotify, AI Credits, SongDNA, Artist Details and Artist Profile Protection, to disclose how AI was used in a track's creation and to help artists control misattributed releases.
Other platforms have moved similarly. Apple Music also labels AI-generated music, TIDAL has declined to pay royalties on tracks made entirely by AI, Bandcamp banned AI-made music outright at the start of the year, and SoundCloud has clarified its own stance on AI after user backlash.
Spotify removed 75 million spammy tracks last September and has also signed a deal with Universal Music Group letting fans reimagine songs with AI, a mix of positions that has drawn criticism from artists. Lorde recently said the public "don't want this" of an AI-generated feature on the platform, and Jack Antonoff has called AI music creators "godless whores." Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan described using AI to write music as "a deal with the devil," and in 2025 Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox joined more than 1,000 artists in releasing the silent album Is This What We Want? in protest.
It's part of a fast-moving stretch of AI stories MusicSuey has covered this week, including two AI country acts turning millions of streams into real money and BMG's new licensing deal with the AI company Suno.
The facts
- Spotify will add an AI Persona badge to profiles from mid-September
- The badge appears on profiles, search results and playlist track rows
- Artists can self-disclose via Spotify for Artists, starting the announcement day
- AI Persona-labeled acts are excluded from personalized recommendations
- Deezer found AI-generated tracks now exceed 50% of daily uploads
- A separate study found 97% of listeners could not tell AI music from human music
- Deezer launched a tool detecting AI tracks across 20 streaming platforms
- Spotify removed 75 million spammy tracks in the prior September
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