Spotify will label AI Persona artist profiles and limit recommendations

In short: Spotify will tag some artist profiles as “AI Persona” and will stop recommending their music by default.

What happened

Spotify says it will begin showing “AI Persona” badges on artist profiles that represent an AI-generated identity, meaning the profile is not tied to a real human or group. The company says the badges will start appearing in mid-September.

The label will show up in several places, including the artist profile page, search results, and inside playlists. Spotify says artists will be able to self-identify as an AI Persona starting August 11 through Spotify for Artists, but Spotify will not rely only on self-disclosure.

Spotify also plans to review profiles and flag ones where the name and images look like a photorealistic AI-made person (like a realistic face created by a computer). It will start with profiles that have reached certain listening thresholds, so higher-listened accounts are checked first.

Once a profile is labeled, Spotify will exclude AI Personas from editorial recommendations and algorithmic recommendations. Algorithmic recommendations are the automated suggestions Spotify makes, like a “for you” shelf in a store. AI Persona music also will not be added to your personalized recommendations unless you choose to follow that AI Persona.

Spotify says artists can appeal if they think the label was applied by mistake. The company also says it will add a reporting tool later, so users can flag unlabeled AI Persona profiles.

Why it matters

For listeners, this changes what shows up when you open Spotify and hit play on suggested music. It is also Spotify’s way of making it clearer whether an artist profile is a real person or a computer-made identity, without making a claim about how the music itself was produced.

Source: TechCrunch AI