It seems AI slop is here to stay on Spotify. Until now, users have had to put their detective caps on to discern whether that new artist topping the charts was real or an artificial construct looking for a quick buck. Spotify is working to take the guesswork out of the entire process by introducing an ‘AI Persona’ label for AI artists on the platform.
Don’t defy the Spotify
It’s not quite the slam dunk we’d hoped for. Spotify’s announcement notes that “artists” can apply the ‘AI Persona’ tag themselves, and hopes that “artists will be transparent” by giving ’em the choice to come clean first. The streamer isn’t being entirely naive and will implement regular checks to verify whether an AI tag is necessary.
How effective it’ll be at that job remains to be seen. Artists on the streaming platform were given the power to declare themselves as an AI persona starting yesterday, 11 August. They’ll do so via the Spotify for Artists portal. Users on the other end will only begin to see the new label sometime in mid-September this year.
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Using a mixture of human checks and AI-powered review techniques, Spotify will do its best to root out fakes. The affected artist will be notified about the label and can appeal Spotify’s decision if it was made in error. By default, any account flagged as being fake won’t show up “in any editorial or algorithmic recommendations.”
Starting mid-September, you’ll be able to view an AI Persona badge (or lack thereof) via an artist’s profile. Spotify will take it a step further and reveal whether the account admitted to being AI-powered, or if Spotify caught ’em being deceitful. That alone might make the difference in whether a user decides to listen to their stuff or not.
