‘It is about choice — if you want to hear AI music or if you don't.’ One Spotify user got so frustrated with AI slop that they created an ‘AI blocker’, but it 'may violate Spotify's terms of service'

Audio Audio Streaming Spotify ‘It is about choice — if you want to hear AI music or if you don't.’ One Spotify user got so frustrated with AI slop that they created an ‘AI blocker’, but it 'may violate Spotify's terms of service' News By Rowan Davies published 28 April 2026 Users are taking matters into their own hands When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter A Spotify user has developed their own AI song-filtering software It's been downloaded by hundreds of users, but it's creator warns that it may violate Spotify's terms of serviceOver the past 12 months, Spotify told us it removed 'over 25 million AI tracks'AI-generated music is a growing frustration for users of Spotify and other music streaming services — and now one Spotify user has taken matters into their own hands.To combat the flood of AI songs plaguing their algorithm, software developer Cedrik Sixtus has built an ‘AI blocker’ that labels and filters out AI-generated tracks from their listening sessions. Since developing the tool, Sixtus has shared it online where it’s been downloaded by hundreds of users via Spotify’s web platform.Speaking with the BBC, Sixtus summarized the aim of his filter tool quite simply, saying "it is about choice — if you want to hear AI music or if you don't”. He also told the BBC that using his software "may violate Spotify's terms of service" — so you might want to proceed with caution if you're thinking of installing it, or a similar blocker.So how does the tool work? The main objective of Sixtus’ AI blocker is to filter out a list of over 4,700 'artists' that are suspected to be AI. This detection is based on community tracking methods, and factors in other characteristics such as album art, and how often music is uploaded to the purported artist’s profile.Article continues below You may like Here are 3 ways to spot AI-generated music in Spotify, and where you can report it Deezer reports nearly half of new music uploads are AI-generated Deezer's AI music-detection tool is now available for rival services to use While users like Sixtus are actively attempting to extinguish the AI flames, the big dog Spotify has yet to clearly label AI-generated songs, which Sixtus finds the most frustrating part.Spotify has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, and to mark the milestone I spoke with Sten Garmark, the company's Head of Consumer Experiences at Spotify. As part of our discussion he teased the company’s future development plans, which include new measures to combat the rise of AI uploads.Garmark told me that Spotify removed “over 25 million AI tracks” in the last year, and emphasized the company's ongoing commitment to tackling the issue. “We have rules against impersonation, and we've also helped set up new protectionist mechanisms for artists so that they can more securely control what goes up on their platform,” he added.At the same time, Spotify has refrained from penalizing artists who use AI as a creative tool in small doses, and a lack of clarity over where it draws the line is one of the issues with its AI filtering system — and it's one reason why loyal subscribers are slowly losing confidence in the service, argues Sixtus. "[Spotify] has to figure out what…

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