97% can’t tell the difference between human and AI music, Deezer survey claims

 
A study claiming that 97% of people cannot distinguish between human and AI music has underscored a major shift in the music industry.

The findings come from a global survey commissioned by streaming app Deezer, carried out by Ipsos across eight countries and involving 9,000 people.

When participants were played three tracks and asked to identify which was fully AI-generated, a remarkable 97% of respondents failed to correctly tell the difference.

The inability to distinguish synthetic tracks from human ones left a majority of respondents (71%) surprised, with over half (52%) expressing discomfort.

The survey results coincide with recent, unprecedented chart success for AI-generated tracks. Last week, three fully synthetic songs topped music charts, achieving high spots on both Spotify and Billboard.

The outfit Breaking Rust saw its tracks, Walk My Walk and Livin’ on Borrowed Time, top Spotify’s US “Viral 50” list. At the same time, a Dutch anti-migrant anthem, We Say No, No, No to an Asylum Center, took the top position on the global version of the viral chart.

The floodgates are open for synthetic music, which is now competing directly with human artists on a massive scale. Deezer revealed that roughly 50,000 fully AI-generated tracks are uploaded to its platform every single day, accounting for 34% of all music submitted daily.

Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier said the results showed listeners want clear identification of the source material. “The survey results clearly show that people care about music and want to know if they’re listening to AI or human-made tracks or not,” he said.

The study also revealed widespread concern for creators: 70% of respondents believe 100% AI-generated music threatens the livelihood of musicians, and 65% argue that it shouldn’t be allowed to use copyrighted material to train AI models without clear approval.

The study underscores a critical challenge for the music industry, where the ascent of AI hits is being driven by both the quality of synthetic compositions and the sheer volume being pushed onto streaming platforms.

Deezer