LONDON (AP) \u2014 Is it The Velvet Underground or Velvet Sundown?<\/p>\n
The fictitious rock group, Velvet Sundown, which comes complete with AI-generated music, lyrics and album art, is stoking debate about how the new technology is blurring the line between the real and synthetic in the music industry, and whether creators should be transparent with their audience.<\/p>\n
Computer software is widely used in music production, and artificial intelligence is just the latest tool that disc jockeys, music producers and others have added to their production pipeline. But the rise of AI song generators such as Suno and Udio is set to transform the industry because they allow anyone to create songs with just a few prompts. <\/p>\n
While some people do not care whether they\u2019re listening to AI-generated music, others might be curious to know. <\/p>\n
If you encounter a new song that leaves you wondering whether it\u2019s 100% made with AI, there are some methods that could reveal how it was created. <\/p>\n
Do a background check<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re wondering who\u2019s behind a song, try some old-fashioned detective work. <\/p>\n
The \u201cmost obvious cues\u201d come from \u201cexternal factors,\u201d said Manuel Mousallam, head of research and development at streaming service Deezer. <\/p>\n
Does the band or artist have social media accounts? Lack of a social presence might indicate there\u2019s no one there. If they do exist online, examine the kind of content they post, and how long it goes back.<\/p>\n
Is there any sign that the artist or band exists in real life? Are there any upcoming concerts and can you buy a ticket for a gig? Is there footage of past concerts on YouTube? Has an established record label released their singles or albums? <\/p>\n
Try going to the source. Song creators often \u2014 but not always \u2014 publish their generated tunes on the Suno or Udio platforms, where they can be found by other users. <\/p>\n
The catch is that you\u2019ll have to sign up for an account to get access. Users can look up songs by track name or the creator\u2019s handle, and browse genres and playlists. But it can still be difficult to spot a song, especially if you don\u2019t know the name of the song or creator. <\/p>\n
Song tags<\/p>\n
Deezer has been flagging albums containing AI-generated songs, as part of its efforts to be more transparent as it battles streaming fraudsters<\/a> looking to make quick money through royalty payments.<\/p>\n The Deezer app and website will notify listeners with an on-screen label \u2014 \u201cAI-generated content\u201d \u2014 to point out that some tracks on an album were created with song generators.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s CEO says the system relies on in-house technology to detect subtle but recognizable patterns found in all audio created by AI song generators. The company hasn\u2019t specified how many songs it has tagged since it rolled out the feature in June, but says up to 18% of songs uploaded to its platform each day are AI-generated.<\/p>\n Song scanners<\/p>\n There are a few third-party services available online that promise to determine whether a song is human-made or generated by AI. <\/p>\n