Spotify announced Tuesday that it will begin flagging artist profiles built around artificial intelligence-generated identities starting in mid-September, a move aimed at giving listeners clearer information about who, or what, is actually behind the music they stream.
Under the new policy, profiles representing AI-generated identities will carry an “AI Persona” label that will appear in several places across Spotify, including artist profiles, search results and track listings. The designation applies specifically to an artist’s identity rather than the technology used to create the music, meaning human musicians who use AI tools in their creative process will not automatically receive the label.
Spotify said the change comes in response to listeners who have encountered artist profiles that appear to represent real people only to later discover that the identities were artificially generated.
“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,” Spotify said.
Artists and their representatives can now voluntarily disclose through Spotify for Artists that a profile represents an AI Persona. But Spotify said it will not rely solely on self-disclosure. The company plans to review profiles it suspects may feature AI-generated identities, initially focusing on artists that meet certain audience thresholds.
When Spotify determines through its own review that a profile likely represents an artificial identity, the company can apply a “Likely AI Persona” designation. Artists will be notified and given an opportunity to appeal the decision or voluntarily disclose that the profile represents an AI Persona.
Beginning in mid-September, music associated with profiles carrying an AI Persona designation will also be excluded by default from Spotify’s editorial and personalized recommendations. Listeners will still be able to search for and stream the music, and people who already follow an AI Persona may continue to encounter its songs in personalized listening experiences.
The policy follows growing scrutiny of AI-generated musicians that can attract large audiences while presenting themselves as seemingly human performers.
One prominent example is Enlly Blue, an artificial artist persona behind “Through My Soul,” an AI-generated soul track that has accumulated millions of streams and attracted attention throughout the music industry. The song became prominent enough that musicians Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad later recorded a human version as part of a broader statement about the growing role of artificial intelligence in music.
Spotify’s new designation does not attempt to determine whether a song itself was created using artificial intelligence. Instead, it is designed to address whether the public identity presented as the artist represents a real person. That distinction means AI-generated or AI-assisted music can remain on the platform without an AI Persona label when it is released under the identity of an actual human artist.
The change comes as streaming services and the broader music industry grapple with the rapid growth of generative AI. While U.S. lawmakers and regulators have addressed certain uses of synthetic media through a patchwork of federal and state measures, there is no comprehensive federal framework governing AI-generated musicians or artist personas on streaming services.
Spotify’s policy puts more of the responsibility on the platform itself. Along with voluntary disclosures, the company plans to use internal reviews and AI-assisted tools to identify potentially artificial artist identities, while a listener-reporting feature is also expected in the future.
How aggressively Spotify will identify undisclosed AI personas, and how effectively it can distinguish them from fictional identities created and controlled by human musicians, will become clearer after the labels begin appearing next month.
