Spotify wants to use AI in a "responsible" way Even though the artists opposed it

It is still not entirely clear what it means, but in the past few hours, Spotify has officially announced the introduction of new artificial intelligence-based tools, developed in collaboration with the three major music companies worldwide (Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music). According to the platform, the goal is to build a “responsible ecosystem” for the use of AI in the music industry, designed to protect artists’ rights and ensure fair compensation for those who create music, putting “artists and songwriters first,” as stated in the press release.

The main issue is that the language used by the world’s leading streaming service is deliberately vague, although it fits into one of the most significant debates in the creative industries. As reported by the BBC, the company acknowledged that there are “very different opinions on the use of generative tools” within the music industry and that the new system will allow artists to decide whether or not to participate in projects that involve artificial intelligence technologies.

Artists against the use of AI in music

It’s impossible to deny that in recent months, A-listers such as Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Paul McCartney have openly criticized the big tech companies that use AI to recreate voices or musical styles without permission. This stance is shared by much of the industry, which sees the boom in AI-generated deepfakes as a direct threat to human creativity and copyright. As early as 2023, UMG had already denounced the streaming release of Heart on My Sleeve, a song that used AI-generated deepfakes of two of its biggest artists, The Weeknd and Drake.

As highlighted by the Guardian, the issue of copyright has now become one of the most heated fronts in the entire music industry, especially considering that the three major labels involved in the Spotify deal are also pursuing lawsuits against startups like Udio and Suno, accused of copyright infringement for using protected material to train their generative music models.

Spotify’s quality keeps getting worse

The news about the new AI tools could hardly have come at a worse time for Spotify, as in recent months, hundreds of users on social media have complained about a decline in quality from the Swedish streaming service. It’s not just about audio quality, which has technically improved in the last month with the introduction of Lossless, but rather a deeper sense of frustration surrounding the platform’s overall user experience. In recent weeks, social media has been filled with posts expressing the same feeling, that Spotify “isn’t what it used to be.” Between bugs, lagging performance, and an algorithm that feels less and less personal due to the increasing reliance on AI, users are reporting a general decline in the app’s usability. “Guys, is it just me or did Spotify actually get worse?” wrote one user on X, while another said they opened the app “after months” only to find that “the music doesn’t even play when it says it’s playing.”

For many, the promise of the new Lossless format isn’t enough. “Apple Music has much better sound quality — lossless means preserving the exact quality of the studio recording, which Spotify doesn’t do,” wrote one user on X. Others report bugs, playlists updating on their own, and a growing feeling of chaos. In this increasingly messy scenario, several users have begun canceling their subscriptions, citing not only poor audio quality but also Spotify’s recent corporate policies. “Cancel your subscriptions, it doesn’t matter if you care about your Wrapped,” reads a widely shared thread accusing Spotify of pushing AI-generated content and integrating chatbots like ChatGPT into its recommendation system. Many now talk about a platform that “gaslights” its users, showing searches or listens that don’t match their actual activity. Perhaps this marks the beginning of the end of Spotify’s undisputed reign as the world’s leading streaming platform.