Music industry plans labels to warn fans of AI use in songs

A major music industry body has announced plans for a global labeling system to warn fans about the use of AI in song production.

Badges let people know that generative artificial intelligence is employed and the extent to which the technology being developed is involved.

The “AI-generated” and “AI-assisted” labels appear first, and additional information is added as times change.

However, a joint statement from the Recording Industry Association of America, the Grammy Awards, SAG-AFTRA, the Human Artistry Campaign, and others said the system is voluntary.

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Last year, AI production company LANDR estimated that nearly 90% of professional music producers use AI to some extent. Streaming platform Deezer recently reported that 44% of all uploads were generated entirely by AI. However, that material only accounts for 3% of the total listening time.

The new label “AI Generated” is used when the lead vocal performance or principal instrumentation was generated by AI, or when the entire work was created from an AI prompt. “AI Assisted” indicates that the lead vocals and principal instrumentation were recorded by a human artist, and AI was used for additional expressive elements.

“Fans want to know if and how generative AI is being used in the music they listen to,” the statement said. “Given how important human artistry and authenticity are to music lovers around the world, these labels offer an instantly understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency.

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“We know that AI is being used in a variety of creative ways, so as adoption of generative AI labeling grows and the technology evolves, we plan to provide our fans with additional information.”

Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. added, “This initiative ensures that creativity, authorship and artistic intent remain at the heart of every song. Giving artists the ability to tell their stories strengthens trust and supports a more sustainable future for music.”

Dr. Moya McTeer, Senior Advisor at the Human Artistry Campaign, said:

“The Campaign is grateful for the collaboration, commitment and commitment to transparency of the organizations that put together this ground-breaking proposal. We look forward to widespread adoption of this pro-people, pro-artist approach.”