When facing global ensloppification, it’s the small victories that count.
To wit, Spotify announced Tuesday (Oct. 20) that it has taken tens of millions of “slop and spam tracks” out of the platform’s recommendations this year. This figure is tucked into an update on how Spotify says it’s “putting human artistry first” one year after detailing its stated efforts to strengthen AI protections.
“AI-generated slop and spam don’t belong in your recommendations, and we’ve made changes to keep them out and protect the listening experience,” Spotify reps said Tuesday. “This year alone, we’ve taken more than 50 million slop and spam tracks out of recommendations. This is in addition to more than 75 million spammy tracks we’ve removed from our platform altogether for serious or repeated violations of our rules.”
Spotify’s process of identifying “slop and spam” is multi-pronged, and doesn’t exclusively rely on AI detection technology. Related efforts from the platform include the recent launches of AI Credits and AI Persona badges, though reps noted Tuesday that their “work isn’t finished.”
Over the summer, Tidal made headlines with its announcement that AI-generated music would not be eligible for royalties, asserting that the platform is instead “committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity.” Following the announcement, Complex took a closer look at how other platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, are navigating the difficulties of the slop era.
Much of the general public has also pushed back on the proliferation of AI-generated, or even AI-assisted, music. Just ask Tyga.
