Music is all around us – in cars, through headphones, or while relaxing in the evening. But what if the song you are listening to right now is not by a real artist, but by a computer? A new survey by Deezer and research firm Ipsos reveals an interesting finding: most people cannot distinguish music created by artificial intelligence (AI) from music composed by humans. And that makes them nervous.
Deezer is a global music streaming platform that connects fans with artists through access to an extensive catalog of high-quality music, lossless HiFi audio, and innovative features available in more than 180 countries.
What the survey found about listeners
In October 2025, Deezer and Ipsos conducted an online survey of 9,000 people aged 18 to 65 from eight countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan. Each participant listened to three tracks – two created entirely by AI and one by a human – and had to guess which ones were artificial. The result? As many as 97% of people failed. This means that almost no one could tell the difference.
Of those who guessed incorrectly, 71% were surprised by their mistake. And more than half, 52% to be exact, felt uncomfortable because they could not distinguish AI music from human-made music. Imagine thinking you are listening to your favorite singer and suddenly finding out that it is just a machine. The survey also focused on streaming service users, who accounted for 6,791 respondents. Of these, 66% said they would listen to AI music at least once out of pure curiosity, but 45% would prefer to exclude it from their playlists entirely. And 40% would skip such a track without even playing it.
Attitudes toward AI in music: curiosity and concern
People have mixed feelings about AI. As many as 98% of respondents had at least heard of AI, and 72% had used it at some point. Curiosity comes first – 55% of people cite it as their main emotion. But trust? Only 19% feel it. When it comes to music, 46% believe AI will help them discover new tracks they will enjoy. On the other hand, 51% expect AI to bring more low-quality, generic music to platforms such as Deezer.
Creativity is an even greater concern: 64% fear that AI will cause music to lose its originality. And what about the future? Half of respondents, 51%, expect AI to play a major role in music creation over the next 10 years. But that does not mean they are excited – they are more cautious than enthusiastic.
Clearly label AI music
The survey clearly shows that people want to know what they are listening to. As many as 80% agree that tracks created entirely by AI should be clearly labeled. Among streaming service users, 73% would like to know whether the platform is recommending AI music to them. And 52% believe such tracks should not appear in the main charts alongside human-made works. Only 11% would consider them equal.
The concerns also extend to artists. As many as 70% of respondents believe AI music threatens the livelihoods of musicians, composers, and singers. 65% say that using copyrighted material to train AI models for music creation should not be allowed. And 73% consider it unethical when AI companies use copyrighted content without the consent of the original creators. In addition, 69% believe payments for AI music should be lower than for human-made music.
Deezer fights the flood of AI
Deezer, which commissioned the survey, has good reason to address the issue. Every day, it receives around 50,000 tracks created entirely by AI, accounting for 34% of all new uploads. Since the beginning of 2025, it has been using a special AI music detection tool capable of identifying tracks from models such as Suno or Udio. Deezer is the only streaming platform that labels such tracks and excludes them from recommendations and playlists.
The company is also fighting fraud – according to Deezer, as many as 70% of AI music streams are fake. Deezer protects artists by signing a global statement on AI training and excluding fraudulent streams from payouts. According to a study by CISAC and PMP Strategy, AI could put as much as 25% of creators' income at risk by 2028, potentially amounting to as much as 4 billion euros (approximately CZK 100 billion).
What does the music industry say?
Even musical instrument manufacturers such as Roland are getting involved. Paul McCabe, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, says that AI can support human creativity, but must not compete with artists. The company supports labeling AI music and is working on technologies that verify the origin of tracks. According to him, AI and human-made music can coexist if the rules are clear.
This survey is eye-opening: AI music is here, but people want rules. If you are curious, try listening to an AI track – but now you know why it should be labeled.
Additional source: cnet.com
