97% Can't Distinguish AI Music; 71% Surprised, 51% Uncomfortable
A recent benchmark put AI‑generated tracks head‑to‑head with human‑made songs and found that 97 percent of listeners couldn’t tell which was which. The test, aimed at gauging public perception of machine‑crafted music, pulled participants from a range of backgrounds and asked them to label each clip. While the raw numbers suggest a near‑perfect mimicry, the reactions behind those figures tell a more nuanced story.
Listeners reported a mix of astonishment and unease when faced with the indistinguishability of the two sources. The study also probed whether people see this capability as a creative boon or a threat to artistic standards. With half of the sample voicing concerns about a potential flood of “low‑quality, generic” output, the findings hint at a cultural crossroads: can AI truly augment music, or will it dilute the craft?
The next section breaks down exactly how participants felt about the results and what they think lies ahead for AI in the arts.
Seventy-one percent were surprised by the results, and 51 percent said it made them uncomfortable to not be able to tell the difference between AI- and human-created art. Opinions on the impact were split, with 51 percent believing that AI will lead to the creation of "more low-quality, generic sounding" music. Somewhat shockingly, only 40 percent said they would skip AI music without listening if they knowingly came across it.
One area where most agreed, however, was in the need for transparency. Eighty percent want AI-generated music to be clearly labeled. It has created a system that can automatically detect and label 100 percent AI-generated content from the most popular models like Suno and Udio.
Deezer also excludes music that has been labeled as AI from its algorithmic recommendations. Spotify recently announced steps to combat AI slop on its platform, but stopped shy of saying it would explicitly label AI content.
Most listeners can’t spot AI music. In Deezer’s test, 97 percent of the 9,000 participants failed to distinguish fully AI‑generated tracks from human‑made ones. Yet the headline figure hides nuance.
Seventy‑one percent of respondents said the result surprised them, and just over half—51 percent—admitted feeling uneasy about the lack of a clear line between machine and creator. The survey also revealed a split view on future impact: an equal share believes AI could flood the market with low‑quality, generic sound, while the rest remain unconvinced. People are asking for more transparency, a demand that surfaced repeatedly in the responses.
Whether clearer labeling will ease discomfort is still unclear, as the data do not indicate how listeners would react to explicit source tags. The experiment underscores how quickly AI can mimic familiar musical structures, but it also raises questions about the criteria we use to judge artistic value. As the technology advances, the balance between novelty and authenticity will likely stay under scrutiny.
Further Reading
- People can't tell AI-generated music from real thing anymore, survey shows - CBS News
- People no longer distinguish real music from music made with AI - Deezer Study
- Benchmarking Music Generation Models and Metrics via Human Preference - ArXiv
- AI Music vs. Human Music: A 2025 Study on the Rise of AI in Music - UNMISS
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Common Questions Answered
What percentage of listeners were unable to distinguish AI‑generated tracks from human‑made songs in Deezer's benchmark?
In the Deezer test, 97 percent of the 9,000 participants failed to correctly identify whether a track was AI‑generated or human‑made. This near‑perfect mimicry highlights how closely current AI music can resemble traditional compositions.
How did participants react emotionally to the difficulty of telling AI music apart from human music?
Seventy‑one percent of respondents reported feeling surprised by the results, while 51 percent said the inability to differentiate made them uncomfortable. These reactions suggest a mix of astonishment and unease toward machine‑crafted art.
What concerns did half of the surveyed listeners express about the future impact of AI on music quality?
Exactly 51 percent of participants believed AI would lead to an influx of low‑quality, generic‑sounding music flooding the market. This split view reflects worries that AI could dilute artistic standards and homogenize musical output.
According to the survey, how likely are listeners to skip AI‑generated music if they know it’s artificial?
Only 40 percent said they would skip AI music without listening if they were aware it was generated by a machine. The majority indicated they would still give it a chance, showing a nuanced openness to AI‑created tracks.