Spotify will begin labeling AI-generated artists with an “AI Persona” profile tag and ban their music from editorial and algorithmic recommendations, the company announced Tuesday.
Starting in mid-September, Spotify users will see an “AI persona” badge on some artists’ profiles, indicating that the artist’s identity is generated by an AI rather than a real person. Spotify will allow artists to identify themselves as AI personas, but the company says it won’t rely solely on self-disclosure.
We also review artist profiles and identify those whose names and images appear to represent photorealistic, AI-generated identities. Spotify said it will start reviewing profiles that meet pre-defined audience criteria so that more listened to artists are covered first.
Once labeled, the AI Persona badge will appear in the artist profile in the banner and about sections, in search, and in the track row of playlists.
By default, Spotify doesn’t include AI personas in editorial or algorithmic recommendations, and it doesn’t add an AI persona’s music to a user’s personalized recommendations unless the user happens to follow the AI persona. Since only users can choose to follow an artist, this is an explicit signal that the user wants to hear more of that person or group’s music.
The move is the latest expansion of Spotify’s AI policy, which details guidelines for how AI-generated music will appear on the service. Spotify’s current policy, first announced in September 2025, uses industry-standard technology to identify and label AI music and bans unauthorized AI voice clones and deepfakes from the platform.
Like other companies in the music industry, Spotify is trying to balance AI innovations like its own AI-powered prompt playlists, AI DJs, and chat with upcoming AI remixes, while also trying to stop the deluge of low-quality AI-generated content that AI has made easier to mass-produce. Allowing slop to flourish can lead to a poor user experience and subscription cancellation.
Spotify also says artists can appeal AI persona labels if they believe they have been applied incorrectly.
Spotify understands the growing consumer backlash against AI-generated art and said in the announcement, “While we believe every artist has the creative choice to decide how they express themselves, Spotify’s programs are focused on elevating the music of real artists who are making a career out of it.”
However, the company clarified that its AI persona judges the artist’s profile, not the music.
“While there is a wide range of how artists use AI as a creative tool, the question of whether a profile represents a real person is one that Spotify helps make clear decisions about. This badge is about the artist’s public identity, not about how the music is made,” the company said.
Information about how the music itself was created will continue to be available through other features on Spotify, such as AI Credits and SongDNA.
In the coming months, Spotify will also roll out a tool that will allow users to report artist profiles that appear to be AI personas that have not yet been labeled.
The addition of labels will also help Spotify users distinguish between AI personas and future AI-generated remixes and covers that will soon be allowed by Spotify’s recent licensing agreements with labels UMG and Merlin. The latter allows for fan-made remixes and covers while funneling money to participating artists.
Regarding AI personas, Spotify says artists will be able to self-disclose through Spotify for Artists starting August 11, 2026. The labels themselves will be visible starting next month.
If you buy through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect editorial independence.
