Apple Music is set to start rolling out its new “Transparency Tag” system, a new metadata system that gives labels and distributors the ability to mark when AI was used in a release.
The new system covers four parts, including track, composition, artwork, and music video. This is not an automatic feature, and Apple is asking labels and distributors to declare the use of AI themselves. Meaning that, if a label does not tag it, it could very well appear as a normal human-made track that leaves room for content to slip through untagged.
Image Credit: https://www.billboard.com/
For example, Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti released his long-awaited third studio album, ‘MUSIC,’ in March 2025, one of the most anticipated rap projects in years. The 30-track album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with roughly 298,000 equivalent album units in its first week. However, the album also sparked multiple online debates about artificial intelligence in music production.
Listeners speculated that Carti’s vocals on songs such as ‘Rather Lie,’ which features Canadian artist The Weeknd, sounded unusually synthetic, leading to discussions on social media about whether AI voice models or AI-assisted vocal processing may have been used. While there has been no confirmed use of AI on the track, the conversation gained traction partly because of the album’s massive reach and cultural impact.
AI-generated music has surged in recent years, with viral AI tracks and AI-generated cover art increasingly appearing on streaming platforms. This rapid growth has created new challenges for streaming services, including AI clones of real artists, mass-produced AI “spam” songs, and copyright disputes over the use of AI-generated voices.
As a result, some platforms are developing tools to identify AI-created content. For example, Deezer has built its own AI-detection system, though it is not accurate 100 per cent of the time. According to the company, Deezer receives around 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day, with AI music making up nearly 40 per cent of all uploads to the platform. The company also reported that in 2025, about 85 per cent of streams on AI-generated tracks were considered fraudulent.
Industry reports suggest that disclosure or detection systems like these could eventually become mandatory for all future music releases.
Source: MacRumors
Image credit: Billboard.com
