Deezer Spots Fully AI-Generated Songs—and the Outcome Is Shocking

Streaming services have long been about discovery. But what if what you’re discovering isn’t quite what it seems? Deezer has just lifted the lid on something music fans—and artists—need to know.

The AI Music Flood Is Here

Earlier this year, something caught the attention of the team at Deezer. The number of new tracks uploaded daily was skyrocketing. Nothing unusual in the age of digital music, right? Except there was a twist: more than 20,000 songs every day were being pumped into the platform, all generated by artificial intelligence.

That’s not a typo. Over 18% of the content Deezer receives daily is now born from AI—not human hands or voices. That’s a flood of machine-made music, often created using apps like Suno or Udio, designed to quickly churn out full songs. It’s efficient, yes. But it also comes with questions: artistic value, fairness to real musicians, and the integrity of streaming platforms.

An Invisible Signature in the Sound

So how do you tell if a song is made by a machine? According to Alexis Lanternier, Deezer’s CEO, the answer lies in the details you can’t hear—but a computer can see.

Using a proprietary tool with a 98% detection rate, Deezer scans songs for telltale “audio markers”—tiny digital artifacts in the waveform that AI tends to leave behind. They’re like the brushstrokes of a machine rather than a human hand. Not something your ears would catch, but something an algorithm picks up instantly.

It’s a bit like those forensic tests used to detect forged paintings, only this time the canvas is sound—and the fraudster might be a well-meaning AI artist.

Marked but Not Erased

When Deezer finds these fully AI-generated songs, it doesn’t delete them. Instead, it does something smarter. It tags them clearly with a message: “This album may contain tracks created with artificial intelligence.” And here’s the kicker—they’re no longer counted in the platform’s streaming tallies.

That move matters. Because streaming counts don’t just reflect popularity—they determine royalty payments. By excluding AI-generated songs from this system, Deezer is protecting the earnings of human artists, who could otherwise see their slice of the pie shrink under the weight of relentless machine uploads.

What This Means for Music Lovers (and Makers)

For casual listeners, this might just be a label on a track. But for musicians, it’s about the future of their profession. Imagine spending years perfecting your craft, only to be nudged off playlists by a beat composed in seconds by an algorithm.

Deezer’s move sets a global precedent. It signals that platforms can—and perhaps should—draw lines in the digital sand to keep things fair. AI in music isn’t going anywhere, but it seems the streaming world is starting to treat it with the caution it deserves.

So next time you press play, take a moment to check the fine print. Behind that catchy chorus, you might just be listening to a song written by a machine—and thanks to Deezer, you’ll now know.