Most can’t distinguish AI-made music from the real thing, poll finds

A white piece of paper with music notes on it

(AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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(NewsNation) — A new poll has revealed that it’s become nearly impossible for people to differentiate between music generated by artificial intelligence and the real thing.

Polling firm Ipsos asked 9,000 people to listen to two clips of AI-generated music and one that was human-made in a survey for music platform Deezer. The company said 97% of the participants were unable to distinguish between the three clips.

According to the poll, 71% of participants were surprised by the results, and 52% reported feeling uncomfortable because they were unable to distinguish between the two.

The survey was conducted in October and surveyed residents of the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan.

When asked about the impact of AI on music, 51% of respondents believed the technology would lead to lower-quality music on various music platforms, and 80% said AI-generated music should be clearly labeled.

So far, Deezer is the only platform that labels AI-generated content for its users.

The issue of AI-generated music came to a head in June when the Velvet Sundown, an entirely AI-generated band, gained more than 1 million plays on Spotify, according to The Guardian. A month later, an individual who said they were behind the band admitted to using an AI platform to create the songs.

In September, Spotify announced it would encourage artists and publishers to sign up for a voluntary industry code to disclose AI use.

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