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In its latest effort to protect human creators from the flood of synthetic music, Spotify will soon require AI-generated identities to carry an “AI Persona” label while barring their tracks from users’ algorithmic mixes.

The change will take effect in mid-September. It follows Spotify’s earlier moves to help subscribers understand the difference between genuine and artificial creators. The platform announced a verification badge in April designed to highlight human artists. In a statement Tuesday, Spotify said the new AI Persona label is meant to make the streamer “the most transparent and trustworthy place to listen to music.” Music from labeled AI Personas will also be excluded from the Swedish company’s personalized recommendations by default.

“While we believe all artists have creative choice in determining how they present themselves, Spotify’s programming is focused on elevating music from authentic artists building careers in music,” the company said .

The AI persona badge will soon appear on an artist’s profile, in the search feature and in playlists.

This is a step in the right direction, said Tiffany Naiman, the director of Music Industry Programs at UCLA. But, she said, she’s more interested in how the company will be identifying AI personas.

“I want to know the process. How [will they] know the difference? Are there going to be [real] artists that get tied up in it?” Naiman said. “It feels very ‘Blade Runner,’ right? Like you’re human, you’re not human.”

Starting Tuesday, Spotify users will be able to identify themselves as AI personas, if applicable. But the company said it “won’t rely on self-disclosure alone” and will use “human review alongside AI investigative tools to apply the label.”

Artists who get labeled as AI personas by Spotify will be allowed to appeal the label. In the coming months, users will also have the ability to report artist profiles as potential AI personas.

The label is the latest feature from the streaming platform that builds on transparency between the artist and their listeners. Recently, Spotify has also introduced SongDNA, an interactive feature that shows the creative team behind the track; AI Credits, a disclaimer where artists can reveal how much AI was used in their creative process and Artist Profile Protection, which allows artists to review and approve all releases on Spotify.

Artificial intelligence is becoming an essential part of Spotify’s business. The company announced a new AI deal last week with the digital music licensing company Merlin. The partnership will enable artists across the more than 30,000 labels and distributors in Merlin’s network to participate in Spotify’s upcoming AI tool. It hasn’t launched yet, but the goal is to let fans create AI-generated remixes and covers of existing songs on the platform.

Spotify is following in the steps of other streaming platforms that have taken more aggressive approaches to the new technology. Deezer, a French streamer, was the first to detect, tag and exclude AI-generated music from algorithmic recommendations. The company recently disclosed that up to 90,000 AI tracks are being uploaded to the platform daily, representing more than 50% of its new music uploads. Tidal has banned AI-generated music from receiving royalties on its platform.

“We know the music ecosystem is evolving, and so will our approach,” said Spotify in a statement. “We’ll continue to adapt as the landscape changes and as we learn from artists, listeners, and industry partners.”

James Jordan thinks the recent Strictly Come Dancing “bloodbath”, which saw a string of professionals axed from the BBC show, was just “getting rid of dead wood”

James Jordan has said the recent culling of several Strictly Come Dancing professionals was “getting rid of dead wood”. The TV star, 48, served as a professional on the BBC Saturday night favourite from 2006 until 2013, and has now spoken out on the mass shakeups that have occurred ahead of the next series going to air.

It was then confirmed earlier this year that professional dancers Karen Hauer, the longest-serving pro on the series, along with Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas would not be returning to the series.

But James has now insisted that the changes were what was “needed” to give another set of pros a chance. He told the Press Association: “When you join Strictly, you’re taking someone’s job, OK? And people forget that because they’re on the show, but then when they’re asked to leave, and then they’re replaced, they’re only worried about that.

“But they forget at some point, they took someone’s job. It’s just showbiz, that’s what it is. Enjoy it for what it is – it is a juggernaut of a show, and it was an honour for all of us to be part of it for so many years.

“But you have to remember that it will come to an end at some point, and all this controversy around, ‘oh, they’re changing so many of the pros’… it needed a shakeup. Some of the pros have been on there for 14 years… dead wood… get rid of them and bring someone younger in, in my opinion.”

But fellow former Strictly professional dancer Ian Waite said: “In my opinion, they got rid of the wrong ones.” He said: “All the professional dancers are amazing in their own right, but you can’t stay on there forever. At some point, you have to give the younger ones a chance, because there’s so many amazing dancers out there.”

James then claimed that bosses could have “got rid of some of the judges as well,” with the panel currently made up of Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood, before hitting out at how “politically correct” he thinks it has become in recent years.

He added: “It’s all got nicey-nicey now, isn’t it? It’s all politically correct, and ‘you can’t say this, and you can’t say that’. You can’t be negative because they’re (the contestants) are gonna cry. It’s a dance show. You need that baddie… but even Craig now is kind of toned down a lot.” He then called for the “reality” of the series to be shown to viewers.

“It’s all like everyone loves everyone, and we’re all one big happy family. That’s not life, that’s not real life. I want to see how hard they’re working in the training room. I want to see the tears. I think that’s the magic that needs to come back.”

James’ own exit from the show came as a result of him choosing to turn down the offer of a reduced role, which would have meant that he would have not been paired with a celebrity on the main programme having previously competed with the likes of broadcaster Vanessa Feltz, actress Denise Van Outen and The One Show’s Alex Jones.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were leaving last year and will be replaced by Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe.

Casting the Big Brother host to present the new series was hailed by James as an “amazing” decision, but wasn’t sure what to make of her new co-stars and would have “preferred” another big name from the TV world.

But he said: “I would have preferred someone like Bradley Walsh or Vernon Kay, or someone like that, because they’re tried and tested. But at the same time, sometimes you got to take risks, and I’m not going to say it’s not good, because I haven’t seen it until I see it.”

Later this year, James and Ian will be teaming up with fellow former Strictly pros Brendan Cole, Pasha Kovalev and Vincent Simone for the dance show Vegas: After Hours.

The show will see them bringing the spirit of Sin City to life with routines set to a soundtrack inspired by Las Vegas performers. James said following their previous Legends Of The Dance Floor in 2024 and The Return Of The Legends last year, they were approached to do another show with the “old geriatrics from Strictly”.

Ian then joked that although they had asked producers to be sent to Vegas for “research purposes”, money was “too tight”. He said: “They said they couldn’t afford James’s casino bills and Vincent’s drinks bill.”

James then said: “These guys are amazing and inspire me every single day that I watch them on stage. They’re all so different and so brilliant at what they do, but I think what separates our tour from any other Strictly tour is the realism in between with the chat, the camaraderie between us, and the fact that we take the mickey out of each other. If we were still working for the BBC, we wouldn’t be able to say some of these things… but it’s all very real and honest and funny.”

The 30-date tour starts in Fareham on October 3 and wraps up in Cardiff on November 8. Tickets are on sale now, available from the venues, Ticketmaster and on The Legends in Vegas: After Hours | Concert Tour.

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Despite brokering a ceasefire on paper, the United States is not standing in the way of Israel’s war on Lebanon, argues Imad Harb, senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.

Harb tells host Steve Clemons that Hezbollah is an excuse for Israel to conduct a land grab in Lebanon, similar to what it’s doing in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria.

Pushing the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah “means civil war in Lebanon”, especially if Israel is allowed to occupy large swaths of Lebanese territory, says Harb.