Spotify criticised for ‘distasteful’ One Direction remarks made by AI Wrapped podcast

AI-generated commenters made inappropriate comments about the spike in streams after the death of Liam Payne

One Direction fans have accused Spotify of “tastelessness” after hearing comments on an AI-generated Wrapped podcast.

The music streamer introduced a feature this year in which users could hear AI-generated voices discuss their personal listening habits across 2024.

However, issues arose when the podcast turned its attentions to the spike in streams of One Direction songs in late October, prompted by the death of singer Liam Payne at the age of 31.

Spotify users shared clips and quotes from the podcast on social media. One widely shared video sees two AI voices discussing One Direction.

“It’s so cool you know, One Direction are classics,” says one AI voice. “And you even had a seven-day listening streak,” adds another.

“Seven days straight? That’s some serious dedication,” says the first.

The second voice then speculates: “I wonder if that coincided with the release of something, maybe a new album or a reunion. It would be really awesome if that happened. It would be a great thing.”

“Maybe there was a One Direction marathon happening?” asked the AI.

“Maybe you just really love One Direction and just listen to them all the time,” it continued. “It’s a great choice but awesome.”

The TikTok user was left unimpressed as they captioned the video, “I don’t think that’s what it coincided with tbh”.

In another clip shared on X/Twitter, the AI voices can be heard remarking about how One Direction are “still going strong”.

Consequently, fans have criticised the feature, with one writing: “This is so distasteful oh my god.”

“No they did this to me too and it just kept going with me close to tears,” wrote another.

The Independent has contacted Spotify for comment.

One Direction pictured in 2015 (Getty)

The controversy comes amid sustained criticism over the implementation of AI by Spotify and other media companies.

Earlier this week, singer Mariah Carey responded after fans had speculated that her video message for fans on Spotify Wrapped was in fact produced using AI.

“Hey, it’s Mariah. Thank you so much for listening to my music on Spotify,” the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer said in the video. “Your support through the years is the greatest gift I could ask for.

“This year, we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of my album, Merry Christmas,” she continued. “I hope you enjoy listening to it and I can’t wait to share new music with you soon. Happy Holidays.”

“Bad lighting and a red lip have you all thinking this is AI??” she wrote on X. “There’s a reason I’m not a fan of either of those things!”