A staggering 97 percent of listeners cannot tell the difference between songs composed by humans and those generated by artificial intelligence. This is the result of a survey conducted by Ipsos for the music streaming platform Deezer. As Jaspreet Singh reports for Reuters, the study polled 9,000 people across eight countries.
The findings highlight growing ethical concerns within the music industry. AI tools that can generate entire songs raise significant copyright questions and threaten the livelihoods of human artists. The issue gained widespread attention when the AI band “The Velvet Sundown” attracted one million monthly listeners on Spotify before its synthetic origins were revealed.
The survey also revealed a strong desire for transparency among listeners. According to the study, 73 percent of respondents want clear labels when AI-generated tracks are recommended. Furthermore, 45 percent asked for filtering options, and 40 percent stated they would skip AI songs completely.
In response, Deezer has begun tagging AI-produced content and excluding it from editorial playlists and algorithmic recommendations. The company has seen daily AI music submissions rise to over 50,000. “We believe strongly that creativity is generated by human beings, and they should be protected,” said Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier. He also noted the complexity of creating different payment policies for AI music.
