Spotify boss says platform will allow AI-made music

In an interview with BBC News, Spotify’s boss, Daniel Ek, has revealed that the company will not ban music created by artificial intelligence (AI) on its platform. He said that AI music is legitimate but it shouldn’t be used to impersonate artists without their permission; it removed some music earlier this year that used AI-clones voices of Drake and The Weeknd.

Ek outlined three categories of AI to the BBC. He said that tools like auto-tune were fine as they can improve the music but tools that mimic artists are not. He also described a ‘contentious middle ground’ where AI is used to create music influenced by existing artists but doesn’t directly impersonate them.

One of the first applications that people discovered with ChatGPT when it launched was its ability to spit out lines of poetry in seconds. Tools like DALL-E can also create artworks with a simple prompt from the user. Similarly, there are also tools that can create music.

Allowing AI music on Spotify is probably a wise thing to do. The main draw of Spotify is its massive library of music which can be accessed for free. If AI music ever becomes a significant niche in the music market, then creators will be able to offer it through Spotify.

In the interview, Daniel Ek said that the issue of AI in music will probably be debated for ‘many, many years’. Due to its automated nature, some people don’t think it can really be put on the same level as music from humans which has received emotional input and requires effort to produce.

If AI does make its way into popular music, it will basically be indistinguishable to most listeners. For creators, however, who may be affected by AI usage financially, it’s definitely a contentious issue.

Source: BBC News