YouTube Music has begun rolling out labels for songs created “primarily using generative AI.”
The Google-owned platform announced the rollout in a blog post on Wednesday (October 14).
YouTube gave the example of a track made “using a generative model to create the composition and vocals.”
The labels will also expand to the main YouTube app, according to the company.
YouTube says it will identify AI-generated tracks using information from music partners alongside its own detection tools.
“Generative AI is opening up new ways for artists to create, experiment, and share music,” said YouTube. “As these tools evolve, our listeners have told us they want transparency when they’re hearing an AI-generated track.”
“Generative AI is opening up new ways for artists to create, experiment, and share music. As these tools evolve, our listeners have told us they want transparency when they’re hearing an AI-generated track.”
YouTube
“When you listen to a track on YouTube Music where AI played a significant role, you’ll see a label directly on the player page,” the company said. “Tapping the label opens a simple menu that shares more information.
“We’re teaming up with music partners and using our own detection tools to identify AI-generated tracks, applying the same labeling principles already used across YouTube. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for viewers and listeners to have the right information and clarity when it comes to the music they listen to.”
A Help Center page for music partners says they can declare generative AI use when delivering content to YouTube via DDEX or CSV delivery templates.
Partners can choose from three designations: “Fully Gen AI,” “Partly Gen AI,” and “No Gen AI.”
Among YouTube‘s examples of “Fully Gen AI” content is a track downloaded from an AI music generator after a user enters a text prompt.
Under “Partly Gen AI,” YouTube lists an artist who uses AI to create a bassline or string section, then adds live vocals and instrumentation themselves.
Pitch-correction software such as Auto-Tune and automated AI mastering both fall under “No Gen AI,” according to the page.
“It is up to partners to interpret the Gen AI definitions provided by DDEX in relation to their content,” the page states.
Partner declarations are not the only input YouTube will use.
“YouTube may use additional signals to augment partner declarations,” according to the page. “If partners do not include any Gen AI information for a piece of content, YouTube will rely solely on those signals and may designate content as fully or partly Gen AI.”
The page says music partners should disclose generative AI use “to help YouTube accurately treat and label media that contains Gen AI.”
Neither the blog post nor the Help Center page spells out what that treatment involves – including whether labeled tracks will be handled differently in recommendations or royalty payouts.
The blog post also does not specify whether tracks designated “Partly Gen AI” will carry the player label. The Help Center page’s examples for that category include a song made with 100% human-performed audio whose music video was generated by a text-to-video AI model.
The blog post links to an AI-labeling update for video that YouTube introduced in May.
At the time, YouTube said it would automatically apply labels when its systems detect “significant photorealistic AI use,” even where creators had not disclosed it.
In the same May update, the platform said that “a disclosure label alone does not change how a video is recommended or whether it’s eligible to earn money.”
YouTube Music‘s move follows AI-labeling measures from other streaming services.
Apple Music told industry partners in August that its AI Transparency Tags would become visible to listeners as “Made With AI” labels later this year.
The Apple Music tags depend on record labels and distributors declaring AI-generated content.
Spotify began testing AI disclosures in its song credits in April, where artists share them through their label or distributor. In August, it said it would add an “AI Persona” badge to artist profiles with AI-generated identities and keep music from those profiles out of its editorial and algorithmic recommendations by default.
TIDAL said in June that it would tag fully AI-generated music in its app and stop paying royalties on it.
Deezer, which uses its own technology to detect and tag AI music, said on Tuesday (October 13) that it will let users exclude fully AI-generated music from search results.
The French streaming service says it receives nearly 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day.
In July, the RIAA and IFPI proposed two voluntary labels for streaming services: “AI-generated” for tracks built entirely by AI or with an AI-produced lead vocal or main instrumental, and “AI-assisted” for tracks that are mostly human-made but use AI in places.Music Business Worldwide
