Lorde (29) has sharply criticized a new AI feature from Spotify. The singer accuses the streaming service of not only spreading false information with automatically generated song explanations, but also of limiting the personal interpretation of her music.
AI feature causes trouble
The feature "About the Song", which is currently still in a beta phase, provides users with additional information about the songs they are playing. To do this, Spotify uses artificial intelligence to compile content from various online sources.
On Instagram, Lorde vented her frustration. "Hey Spotify, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say: We don't want this", the musician wrote alongside a screenshot of the feature.
False information about Lorde's song
Specifically, it concerned her track "Current Affairs". The AI summary claimed that Lorde had staged the song during her "Ultrasound World Tour" as a performance in which she stripped down to her undergarments and had a dancer pour water over her stomach.
According to Lorde, however, this description was simply false. "Not only is this inaccurate - it's also not even the song I did that during", she clarified.
Beyond that, she criticized the basic principle of the feature. An AI-generated explanation directly on the streaming platform reduces the meaning of a song to a single interpretation and takes away listeners' freedom to form their own opinion. "At the very least, artists should be able to opt out of this", the singer demanded.
Spotify responds
Spotify removed the contested text shortly thereafter. In a statement to "Pitchfork", the company explained that the feature was developed because many fans wanted to learn more about the stories behind the songs.
Since "About the Song" is still in the testing phase, the information comes from various articles on the internet. Errors are corrected quickly - as was the case with Lorde. "It's important to us to get the information right", Spotify stated.
