How we check
Calling a real person “AI” when they are not is harmful and can be defamatory. So every artist page carries exactly one verdict from a fixed ladder, and the verdict decides which words the page is allowed to use.
The five verdicts
The badge shape carries the certainty, not alarm colours: a solid block means someone with standing said so (the creator, or evidence of a human performer); a solid outline is a platform's label; a dashed outline means reported but unconfirmed; a dotted outline means unclear.
- Creator disclosed AI. The creator or label said publicly that the music is AI-generated or AI-assisted. We link the statement. Only here do we write that something “is AI”.
- Platform AI label. At least one streaming service shows an AI label, and the creator has not said so. We say which platform labels it, and when we saw the label; we do not go further than the platform.
- Reported, unconfirmed. Only third-party reporting or analysis. We need at least two independent items, and we write “unconfirmed” or “reported”, never “is AI”.
- Human performer confirmed. Credible evidence that a human performs: a verified live show, a label statement, or the performer's own statement.
- Unclear. The evidence conflicts or is not enough to say either way.
Two questions are kept apart. Identity: is there a real performer behind the name? Process: was AI used to make the music (fully generated, AI-assisted, AI vocals)? A real singer can release songs with AI-processed vocals, and Spotify's own AI Persona badge is about identity, not about how the music was made.
Kinds of evidence
- Creator statement
- The artist, creator or their official account said it, in a post, bio, interview or AI credit on a streaming service.
- Platform label
- A streaming service shows an AI label on the artist, album or track. We link the page and note the day we saw it.
- Press report
- A news outlet reported it. We name the publisher and link the article; we prefer outlets that contacted the artist.
- Third-party analysis
- A third party (a researcher, a detector company, a fan investigation) published an analysis. Never enough on its own.
- Label statement
- A record label, distributor or management company said it on the record.
- Live performance
- A verified live show, broadcast or in-person appearance by the performer.
What we do not do
- We do not run AI detectors on audio or publish detector percentages. Detectors make mistakes, and running them on streamed audio breaks the platforms' terms.
- We do not estimate artists' earnings or count “streams drained”.
- We do not store or quote lyrics, host audio, or copy cover art or artist photos. We link to official pages instead.
- We do not use affiliate links on artist or song pages.
Sources and dates
Every fact on the site has a source link and the date we last checked it. A platform label we have not looked at shows as “not checked yet”, which is different from “no label seen”. A build check stops publication if any fact lacks a source, if a date is in the future, or if a page's wording goes further than its verdict allows.
How we write
Pages are researched and written by the WhoSung desk with AI assistance, then checked line by line against the primary sources linked on the page. We have no hands-on access to artists' accounts and do not claim any. No reviews, ratings or invented quotes.
Corrections and right of reply
Every artist page has a “Disagree? Send evidence” link. If you are the artist, represent them, or have a source we missed, email [email protected]. When a verdict changes, the change is logged with the date, the old and new verdict and the reason on the corrections page.