Spotify recently announced that they’re partnering with several big-name record labels to integrate more AI tools into the platform. The nature of these new tools is still under wraps. However, Spotify has allegedly started work on a few products already.

According to a report from the BBC, Spotify is partnering with Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. These three labels make up a huge majority of the popular music industry. For example, Sony Music reps Sleep Token, Bruce Springsteen, SZA, Britney Spears, and Sly & The Family Stone. UMG has some of the most popular artists on its roster, including Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish. Meanwhile, WMG reps Ed Sheeran, Fleetwood Mac, Cardi B, Zach Bryan, and Madonna.

“We’ve been consistently focused on making sure AI works for artists and songwriters, not against them,” said Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl. “That means collaborating with partners who understand the necessity for new AI licensing deals that protect and compensate rightsholders and the creative community.”

Spotify claimed that their new AI tools will be “responsible.” They said these developments will “put artists and songwriters first” with respect to copyright. Additionally, artists can choose whether to participate in the new features or not. Apparently because of the “wide range of views on use of generative music tools within the artistic community,” the platform noted.

Spotify further made some bold claims regarding ethical use of AI for these new features. Rightfully so, artists continually worry about AI use in the music industry. The International Confederation of Music Publishers recently reported massive breaches of copyright over the past two years. Huge tech companies like Google and Meta have unlawfully scraped decades of popular music to train AI models for years.

Spotify Makes Promises for Ethical AI Use on New Features, But Artists Are Wary

With Spotify’s AI tools, the company promises artists and copyright holders would be “properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions.” Apparently, this would happen through “upfront agreements” instead of “asking for forgiveness later.”

Spotify has already integrated a couple of AI tools over the years. The nonsensically specific Daylist is one, and the AI DJ obviously went over so well. There’s also the debacle of last year’s Spotify Wrapped. Not only did it take away genre stats, but it introduced an uncanny AI podcast. Imagine hearing two disembodied, almost-human voices discuss your personal listening habits like they know you intimately. It’s an unsettling experience and not recommended, by the way.

The most recent AI development came on October 6, when Spotify integrated with ChatGPT. Now users can ask ChatGPT for a playlist based off of whatever arbitrary parameters they want. The playlist will appear in the ChatGPT responses. Unfortunately, an AI playlist also appears when you search for anything on the Spotify app. Even if you’re not a ChatGPT user.

As for the announcement itself, some people are hoping it changes the game. Ed Newton-Rex founded Fairly Trained, which focuses on ethical AI use with respect to copyright. He told BBC News that this announcement could be a turning point for the AI industry.

“Lots of the AI industry is exploitative – AI built on people’s work without permission, served up to users who get no say in the matter,” he said. “This is different – AI features built fairly, with artists’ permission, presented to fans as a voluntary add-on rather than an inescapable funnel of AI slop.”

He continued, “The devil will be in the detail, but it looks like a move towards a more ethical AI industry, which is sorely needed.”

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