Huge number of AI-generated songs exposed
Technology
At least 10 per cent of songs have been fully generated by artificial intelligence
(Web Desk) - Huge numbers of tracks are already being generated by artificial intelligence, according to streaming service Deezer.
The French company built a new system that allows it to automatically identify tracks that have been created with generative AI tools.
It found that around 10,000 AI tracks are being delivered each day, or around 10 per cent of the music being uploaded – and it may even be higher.
The company said that the popularity of generative models such as Suno and Udio have made it easier to automatically create songs, with a view to generating revenue by getting people to stream them. That has likely led the number of such tracks to rapidly increase.
Deezer’s system is able to spot artificially generated music from those services, and has the option to add more if there are enough data examples available.
It is also working on systems that are able to spot AI music more generally. And it hopes to be able to better spot deepfaked voices, to identify songs that are posing as being by other artists.
“We set out to create the best AI detection tool on the market, and we have made incredible progress in just one year,” said Aurelien Herault, chief innovation officer at Deezer, in a statement.
“Tools that are on the market today can be highly effective as long as they are trained on data sets from a specific generative AI model, but the detection rate drastically decreases as soon as the tool is subjected to a new model or new data.
We have addressed this challenge and created a tool that is significantly more robust and applicable to multiple models.”
Most of the tracks are not actually being streamed at all on Deezer, the company said. But they fill up the catalogue and can be used for fraudulent activity, such as falsely playing tracks in the hope of claiming revenue from streaming platforms, for instance.
The system is not necessarily able to spot songs that use AI mixed with other elements. Deezer says that such tracks will remain available, but that it is concerned about the threat to creators’ revenue that more widespread use of AI could pose.
“As artificial intelligence continues to increasingly disrupt the music ecosystem, with a growing amount of AI content flooding streaming platforms like Deezer, we are proud to have developed a cutting-edge tool that will increase transparency for creators and fans alike,” said Alexis Lanternier, chief executive at Deezer.
“Generative AI has the potential to positively impact music creation and consumption, but its use must be guided by responsibility and care in order to safeguard the rights and revenues of artists and songwriters. Going forward we aim to develop a tagging system for fully AI generated content, and exclude it from algorithmic and editorial recommendation.“
