Spotify denies it’s pushing unwanted AI slop onto subscribers, claiming it ‘does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools’

• Spotify users are flagging unwanted AI-generated music in their apps, but the platform itself denies forcing it
• The music streaming service shared in a comment that 'does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools'
• While it claims it's implementing ways to tackle this, platforms such as Bandcamp have completely banned AI audio

Spotify always seems to be running into controversy in some way, shape, or form, whether that’s not paying artists what they deserve or taking its time to release a much-needed upgrade (looking at you, Spotify Lossless).

As for its latest dispute, music fans are angrily drawing attention to AI-generated music flooding the Spotify app, claiming that the platform is forcing AI music into features such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar. I covered this recently, shedding light on a Reddit post that attracted a hefty response from users who have experienced this AI slop.

The crux of the post was to call on Spotify to implement a filter system that flags whether a song has been generated using AI tools, which other music streaming services, such as Deezer, have already jumped on.

So what does Spotify have to say about this heat? While the platform has yet to explain why AI music is still an occurrence in its ecosystem, we reached out for a comment, and they got back to us with the following statement:

“AI is a fast-moving shift for the entire music industry, and it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between ‘AI’ and ‘non-AI’ music. Spotify is focused on actions that guard against harmful AI use cases, including removing spam and deceptive content, strengthening enforcement against impersonation and unauthorized voice cloning, and supporting industry-standard AI disclosures in music credits. Spotify does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools.”

Back in September, Spotify issued a post listing its plans to strengthen its AI protections, which included Improved enforcement of impersonation violations, a new spam filtering system, and AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits. It’s been four months since, and the AI overflow is still there for some users.

With that in mind, why is it so hard to eradicate AI-generated tracks from music platforms? Well, it’s not. While Spotify claims that it’s doubling down on its attack against AI music, it doesn’t seem to be working. Rival platforms are already tackling this, and Bandcamp has just banned AI music altogether, announcing this move via a Reddit post.

Although AI music has been banned, the platform isn’t blind to the fact that it can still slip in. That said, Bandcamp is encouraging users to use its reporting tools to flag any AI-generated music or audio they may run into. It’s a very direct way of tackling unwanted AI rubbish, and one that could help Spotify gain back user trust.

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