Spotify is rolling out a new way to tell whether the artist you're streaming is an actual human. The company on Thursday announced a "Verified by Spotify" badge that will appear on artist pages, along with a light-green check mark, for acts that follow its rules, have steady listenership, and maintain a clear presence both on and off the platform, reports Gizmodo. The badges are scheduled to emerge over the next few weeks; TechCrunch has pics of what the badges will look like. The move is aimed squarely at the rise of AI-made tracks, which have flooded streaming services and sometimes fooled even devoted listeners—most notably when "rock band" The Velvet Sundown, with a million Spotify streams, was revealed to be fully AI-generated, per Gizmodo.
Spotify says it wants to bolster trust and focus on authenticity "in the AI era" and is targeting verification of more than 99% of artists whom users actively search for at launch. For now, profiles that mostly represent AI personas won't qualify for a badge, but the company hints that that stance could shift. Spotify is effectively playing catch-up on this front: Deezer has been tagging AI songs for months, while Apple Music in March added AI labels that distributors can choose to apply if they wish. "In a landscape that's complex and rapidly evolving, we know we won't get everything right from day one," the company says in a release. "We've designed this new verification program thoughtfully with listeners and artists in mind, and we'll continue to evolve this program over time."
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