Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable

By Jaspreet Singh (Reuters) -A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs, a Deezer–Ipsos survey showed on Wednesday, underscoring growing concerns that AI could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized. The findings of the survey, for which Ipsos polled 9,000 participants across eight countries, including the U.S., Britain and France, highlight rising ethical concerns in the music industry as AI tools capable of generating songs raise copyright concerns and threaten the livelihoods of artists. It also showed that most listeners want clear labelling on AI-generated music, music streaming platform Deezer said. The study found that 73% of respondents supported disclosure when AI-generated tracks are recommended, 45% sought filtering options, and 40% said they would skip AI-generated songs entirely. Around 71% expressed surprise at their inability to distinguish between human-made and synthetic tracks. Deezer, which has 9.7 million subscribers, has seen daily AI music submissions rise to more than 50,000 — about a third of total uploads, up sharply from 18% in April. It has introduced tagging and excluded AI-produced tracks from editorial playlists and algorithmic recommendations to promote transparency. "We believe strongly that creativity is generated by human beings, and they should be protected," Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier told Reuters, urging transparency. Lanternier noted the complexity of implementing differential payout structures for AI music, stating a "massive change" in remuneration policies remains challenging. Deezer has also started excluding fake streams from royalty payments. The issue gained attention earlier this year when AI band "The Velvet Sundown" attracted one million Spotify listeners monthly before its synthetic origins were exposed. Universal Music Group recently settled a copyright case with AI music company Udio. While financial terms were undisclosed, the parties plan to launch an AI-powered music creation platform in 2026, using licensed music to train the tool. On Tuesday, a Munich court ruled that OpenAI's ChatGPT violated German copyright laws by reproducing song lyrics, a decision the company said it might appeal. Consumer attitudes toward AI in media remain mixed. A May survey by Luminate found the majority of U.S. audiences were indifferent or accepting of AI use in cinema tasks like visual effects, but sceptical of AI-written scripts or synthetic actors. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru and Leo Marchandon in Gdansk; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Milla Nissi-Prussak)

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