Spotify uses its AI Persona badge to identify artist profiles presented as photorealistic AI-generated people. Music from those profiles is excluded from editorial and personalized recommendations unless a listener intentionally engages with the artist.
Spotify announced the badge on August 11, 2026, and began displaying it in mid-September. In an October 20 update, the company said it had labeled thousands of AI Personas.
Who receives the badge
The badge concerns the identity an artist presents, including their name and imagery. A profile may qualify if its images depict a realistic AI-generated person who does not exist. Using AI to make music does not, by itself, make an artist an AI Persona; a real person using a stage name or a character that is not a photorealistic AI human does not meet that description.
Artists who disclose their status receive an “AI Persona” label. A “Likely AI Persona” label means Spotify applied it after a review. Listeners can tap the badge to see which label applies.
Effect on recommendations
AI Persona music remains available to search, follow, save and stream. Spotify says it will not include that music in editorial or personalized recommendations unless a listener intentionally engages with the artist, such as by following them. The badges are rolling out gradually, so some listeners may not see them yet.
Spotify initially reviewed artists who met unpublished audience thresholds. It has also said it plans to let listeners report profiles they believe are AI Personas. Changes to an artist’s name, profile image, biography or other identity information may prompt another review.
Disclosure, credits and appeals
Artists can disclose an AI Persona through Profile & Identity in Spotify for Artists. An artist who enabled the setting by mistake can remove it in the web version under Artist Settings, then Profile & Identity, then AI Persona.
An artist given a Likely AI Persona badge receives a notification in Spotify for Artists. They can confirm the designation by disclosing it or appeal through the service. The badge remains if they take no action, and Spotify makes the final decision.
Spotify’s separate AI credits describe how AI contributed to an individual song, including lyrics, vocals, instrumental performances or production. These optional credits are submitted through participating distributors and are in beta. Listeners can see them on mobile in Song Credits and the Now Playing view.
Verification eligibility
Profiles that primarily represent AI-generated or AI-persona artists are currently ineligible for Verified by Spotify review or approval. Artists who use AI tools can be eligible if they present themselves authentically.
Other verification criteria include sustained listener activity, such as at least 10,000 monthly active listeners for three consecutive months and at least 1,000 followers, as well as good standing under Spotify’s rules and an identifiable presence. Spotify said in October that more than 300,000 artists were verified and more than 70% were independent.
