Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the biggest topics in the music industry.

AI-generated songs are appearing on streaming platforms in increasing numbers, while artists, producers, labels and streaming services are trying to determine where AI belongs in the creative process.

For independent artists, this can create uncertainty.

Can you release music that contains AI-generated elements? Is an AI vocal the same as an AI-generated song? Could using a beat with an AI-assisted hook cause problems when releasing your song on Spotify?

These are valid questions, and some Tellingbeatzz customers have asked them as well.

The most important thing to understand is that AI-assisted music and fully AI-generated music are not the same thing.

The Music Industry Is Trying to Deal With AI

Generative AI has made it possible to create enormous amounts of music very quickly. That has created challenges for streaming services.

In 2025, Spotify announced stronger measures against spam, impersonation and deceptive AI content. According to Spotify, more than 75 million spammy tracks had been removed from the platform during the previous 12 months. The company specifically pointed to mass uploads, duplicates, SEO manipulation and other forms of low-effort content that have become easier to produce with AI.

The important detail is what Spotify didn’t say.

Spotify did not announce that all music involving AI is prohibited.

Instead, the company described AI use as a spectrum and said artists and producers should remain in control of whether and how they incorporate AI into their creative process. Spotify’s policies are increasingly focused on transparency while targeting spam, deception, unauthorized impersonation and manipulation.

That distinction matters enormously.

AI-Generated Music and AI-Assisted Music Are Different

Imagine someone enters a short prompt into an AI music generator and receives a finished song.

The composition, instrumentation, vocals and production may all have been generated by AI.

That is fundamentally different from a producer spending hours composing and producing an instrumental from scratch and then using an AI tool for one particular element of the finished production.

The second example is better described as AI-assisted music.

AI becomes one tool within a much larger human creative process.

This distinction is now reflected directly in Spotify’s approach.

Spotify’s AI Credits system can disclose AI involvement separately for lyrics, vocals, instrumental performances and production. Spotify specifically explains that an AI credit indicates how AI contributed to a song and does not necessarily mean the entire track was AI-generated.

That is an important development because it moves the discussion away from the overly simple question of whether a song is “AI” or “not AI.”

How AI Is Used at Tellingbeatzz

I want to be transparent about how I use AI at Tellingbeatzz because some customers have asked about the vocal hooks included with certain beats.

The instrumentals themselves are not AI-generated.

Tellingbeatzz beats are composed and produced from scratch without using generative AI to create the instrumental composition.

I write and produce the music myself, including the melodies, chords, drums, arrangements, sound selection and overall production.

My compositions are also created sample-free rather than being built around copyrighted samples from existing recordings.

However, some — not all — Tellingbeatzz beats with vocal hooks use AI-assisted vocals.

I like using AI as a vocal production tool because it allows me to add soulful, atmospheric or cinematic vocal ideas to certain instrumentals when I feel a vocal hook adds another dimension to the beat.

In those cases, AI is assisting with the vocal element, not creating the underlying beat.

That distinction is important.

What Does That Actually Mean?

A Tellingbeatzz beat with an AI-assisted hook can therefore consist of two very different creative components:

The instrumental: Human-composed and produced from scratch without generative AI.

The vocal hook: In some productions, AI-assisted or AI-generated vocals are used as part of the hook.

The existence of an AI-generated vocal does not suddenly mean the entire composition was generated by AI.

Spotify itself now recognizes this distinction through role-specific AI credits. A track can disclose AI-generated vocals without describing the instrumental or entire production as AI-generated.

Why Streaming Platforms Are Concerned About AI

The biggest problems streaming services face aren’t necessarily producers occasionally using AI as another production tool.

The much larger problem is scale and abuse.

Generative AI makes it possible to create and upload enormous quantities of tracks at extremely low cost. Spotify has specifically identified mass uploads, duplicates, SEO manipulation, artificially short tracks and other forms of spam as problems that can interfere with legitimate artists and potentially divert royalties.

There is also the issue of impersonation.

AI can reproduce voices that resemble recognizable artists. Spotify’s policy states that vocal impersonation is only permitted when the impersonated artist has authorized its use.

These situations are very different from responsibly using an artificial vocal as a creative element in an original production.

Spotify Is Moving Toward Transparency, Not a Blanket AI Ban

This is perhaps the most important development for artists.

Spotify’s current approach acknowledges that AI can play many different roles in making music.

Its AI Credits system is designed to show whether AI was involved in areas such as vocals, lyrics, instrumentation or production. The credits are currently in beta and are submitted through participating distributors.

Spotify has also stated that disclosing responsible AI use is not intended to punish artists or automatically down-rank their music.

In 2026, Spotify went even further by introducing additional systems intended to distinguish authentic artists from AI-generated identities. The company says artists who responsibly use AI tools as part of their creative process can still qualify for its artist verification system as long as they authentically represent themselves.

That’s an important distinction.

Using AI does not automatically make someone an AI artist.

What About Fully AI-Generated Artists?

This is where streaming platforms appear to be drawing a stronger line.

Spotify announced in August 2026 that it will begin identifying certain artist profiles representing photorealistic AI-generated identities with an AI Persona badge.

More importantly, Spotify says music from those AI Personas will, by default, not be included in its editorial or algorithmic recommendations unless a listener intentionally engages with that artist, for example by following them.

Spotify is also explicit that the AI Persona label concerns the identity of the artist, not necessarily how every part of the music was produced.

Again, the industry is becoming more nuanced.

There is a significant difference between an artificial artist identity generating large quantities of music and a real producer using an AI tool for one component of an otherwise human-created production.

Should Artists Be Worried About Using a Tellingbeatzz Beat With an AI Hook?

Based on the current direction of Spotify’s policies, the presence of an AI-assisted vocal should not automatically be confused with the types of AI activity streaming platforms are trying to combat.

Spotify’s own framework explicitly recognizes AI-generated vocals as one possible contribution to a track rather than automatically treating the entire song as AI-generated.

However, artists should always follow the current rules of their distributor and streaming platforms when releasing music.

Policies and disclosure requirements are evolving quickly, and different distributors may handle AI-generated elements differently.

If your distributor provides the ability or requires you to disclose AI-generated vocals, you should provide that information accurately.

Transparency is the safest approach.

AI Is a Tool — The Creative Process Still Matters

Music production has always evolved alongside technology.

Sampling changed hip hop.

Digital audio workstations changed recording.

Auto-Tune changed vocal production.

Software instruments made thousands of sounds available from a laptop.

AI is another major technological shift, although it introduces new questions around authorship, identity and scale that the music industry is still working through.

For me, the important question isn’t simply:

“Was AI used?”

A better question is:

“How was AI used?”

There is a meaningful difference between asking a machine to generate an entire catalog of finished songs and a producer using AI selectively within an otherwise human-created production.

That’s also why transparency matters.

My Approach at Tellingbeatzz

After 17 years of producing music, I don’t want AI to replace the part of production I enjoy most: creating music.

The composition is still mine.

The melodies are still mine.

The chords, drums, arrangement, sound selection and production decisions are still mine.

The instrumental is created from scratch and sample-free.

AI simply gives me another tool that I can occasionally use when a production calls for a vocal element that I couldn’t otherwise create myself.

And not every Tellingbeatzz beat uses it.

Many beats are completely instrumental, while some beats include AI-assisted vocal hooks as an additional creative element.

I believe that’s an important distinction for artists purchasing my music to understand.

The Future Is Probably AI-Assisted, Not Simply “AI vs. Human”

The music industry is still figuring this out.

But the direction we’re seeing from Spotify suggests that the future may not be a simple division between “AI music” and “human music.”

Instead, platforms are beginning to recognize different levels and types of AI involvement.

A human artist might use AI for a vocal.

A producer might use it during production.

Another artist might use AI for lyrics.

And someone else might generate an entire song, artist identity and catalog using AI.

Those are not equivalent creative processes, and increasingly they are not being treated as if they were.

For Tellingbeatzz, my position is straightforward:

AI can assist my music, but it doesn’t replace my music production.

The beats remain original, sample-free compositions produced from scratch. When AI is used, it is selectively used as a creative tool — particularly for vocals on some hooks.

As the technology and streaming rules continue to evolve, I believe being transparent about that distinction is the right approach for both producers and artists.

Browse Beats & Instrumentals

Check out my extensive catalog of more than 600 custom-made beats and instrumentals, available for free download or licensing.