Spotify has revealed that it’s cracking down on AI “bad actors” in a bid to improve its service for users.
As AI-generated music becomes increasingly prevalent, a growing number of artists, producers and listeners have expressed concern about deceptive content and the lack of transparency in AI music.
On Thursday (September 25), Spotify announced its multi-pronged plan to address those concerns while acknowledging AI’s ever-expanding role in the current music landscape.
“At its best, AI is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it,” a rep for Spotify wrote in a post on the streaming platform’s For the Record blog. “At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers. That kind of harmful AI content degrades the user experience for listeners and often attempts to divert royalties to bad actors.”
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Spotify noted it had already taken steps to bolster its protections against “the worst parts of Gen AI,” and has removed more than 75 million “spammy” tracks over the past 12 months. It is also rolling out a spam filter that will identify users who engage in deceitful AI practices, like “mass uploads, duplicates, SEO hacks, artificially short track abuse, and other forms of slop.”
Spotify’s second measure aims to strengthen its rules against unauthorized voice clones, and curb the exploitation of human artists and producers. The company said it has joined forces with leading artist distributors to prevent deepfakes at the source. It will also take steps to stop fraudulent music from being uploaded to an artist’s official profile page.
“Unauthorized use of AI to clone an artist’s voice exploits their identity, undermines their artistry, and threatens the fundamental integrity of their work,” the blog read. “Some artists may choose to license their voices to AI projects — and that’s their choice to make. Our job is to do what we can to ensure that the choice stays in their hands.”
The third policy focuses on transparency. Spotify said it is working with Digital Data Exchange to develop new industry standards for AI disclosures in content credits. The company insisted the move was not intended to punish artists who use AI tools; it was simply a way to bolster trust “across the platform.”
“This standard gives artists and rights holders a way to clearly indicate where and how AI played a role in the creation of a track — whether that’s AI-generated vocals, instrumentation, or post-production,” the Spotify post continued. “By supporting an industry standard and helping to drive its wide adoption, we can ensure listeners see the same information, no matter which service they’re listening on. And ultimately, that preserves trust across the entire music ecosystem.”
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