30 Jun 2025

Ghosts in the machine: Fighting the presence of AI on Spotify

From Nights, 9:25 pm on 30 June 2025

Paul Bender is a three-time Grammy nominated bassist. When he's not performing with Australian jazz-funk band Hiatus Koiyote, he releases music through his side project, The Sweet Enoughs. 

One day, songs started being released under The Sweet Enoughs' profile. They were not good songs - but more importantly, they weren't Paul's songs.

Through exploiting a distribution loop, AI-generated songs were being uploaded against artists' will, and it remains foggy who's behind the ghost songs.

Paul joins Emile Donovan.

‘Dust on the Wind’ has been listened to more than 1.2 million times.

‘Dust on the Wind’ has been listened to more than 1.2 million times. Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP