YouTube Music rolls out labels for AI-generated songs

YouTube Music has started labelling songs made with generative AI, the platform announced on 14 October 2026, according to Billboard. The labels apply to tracks “created primarily using generative AI,” including cases where a generative model produced both the composition and the vocals. They will also appear on music content in the main YouTube app.

On YouTube Music, the label shows up on the player page while a song is playing; tapping it opens a menu with more information. The company says it is working with music partners and using its own detection tools to identify AI-generated tracks, following the labelling principles already in place across YouTube.

In 2024, YouTube began requiring creators to disclose when realistic content, which viewers could mistake for real people or places, was altered or synthetically generated. Its “Made with AI” label covers content creators disclose in YouTube Studio, content made with YouTube’s own generative tools, and content whose Content Credentials data show the whole video was AI-made. When creators do not disclose AI use, YouTube can apply the label itself.

The move follows similar steps by other streamers. In August, Spotify announced a label for AI-generated artists, whose music will be left out of personalised recommendations, and Apple Music said it was working on labels for music that providers disclose as materially AI-generated; Apple Music head Oliver Schusser has told Billboard the company uses an internal detector. In July, a recorded-music industry coalition including the IFPI, RIAA and A2IM proposed widespread AI labels on streaming services.