Apple Music will tag up AI-generated tracks, report says

It's getting harder to distinguish AI-generated music on streaming platforms, and companies including Spotify and now Apple Music are attempting to make it clearer. Home > Tech Apple Music will tag up AI-generated tracks, report says Hey, this song's a vibe, ahh f*** By Shannon Connellan Shannon Connellan UK Editor Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror. Read Full Bio on March 5, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Flipboard Credit: Thomas Fuller / NurPhoto via Getty Images It's getting harder to distinguish AI-generated music on streaming platforms, and companies including Spotify and now Apple Music are attempting to make it clearer.Apple's audio streaming service is adding "Transparency Tags" to content generated by artificial intelligence, according to a report by Music Business Worldwide. In a newsletter sent to industry partners, viewed by the news outlet, the company reportedly has new requirements for metadata when uploading tracks to Apple Music, which would disclose whether the song (or anything related to the making of the song) is AI-generated or not. SEE ALSO: Spotify Smart Shuffle played a song I'd never heard before. It was AI generated. The metadata tags reportedly cover artwork, track, composition, and music video, and labels must apply tags to each if AI has been used in production. However, as MWB noted, the Transparency Tags appear to be "optional" in Apple Music Specification 5.3.25 and "if omitted, none is assumed," so it will be on Apple Music to enforce the need for such tags.Mashable has reached out to Apple Music for further information. Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! It's tricky territory for music streamers and listeners feeling caught unawares with AI-made music, as Mashable's Rachel Thompson asks, "How should we feel about AI-generated songs finding their way into our listener library? Some people aren't necessarily opposed to giving AI music a try, but their open-mindedness begins to shift once they feel deceived." Featured Video For You How TikTok is Changing the Music Industry After the whole Velvet Sundown-fiasco, audio streaming competitor Spotify started adding AI disclosures through metadata in Sept. 2025, working with the Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) to allow "artists and rights holders a way to clearly indicate where and how AI played a role in the creation of a track — whether that’s AI-generated vocals, instrumentation, or post-production." However, this is separate from Spotify recommending AI-generated music to users, which we've still seen happening in 2026.In a 2025 study by Deezer and Ipsos, 97 percent of people surveyed couldn't tell an AI-generated song from a human-made one, 80 percent want clear labels for AI music, and 72 percent want to know if they're being recommended it. Related Stories You vibe-coded an app, now what? Spotify said AI has been doing the heavy lifting for its coding since December AI music enters the Olympics' ice dancing contest New AI music from Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel featured on 'Eleven Album' How to use Spotify's Page Match feature while reading Honestly, more tags on AI-generated content is welcome news, and that doesn't just apply to music.Want more tech news? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter. Topics Apple Artificial Intelligence Music Shannon Connellan UK Editor Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.