Telling the listener: transparency and trust

When you buy a packet of biscuits, the label tells you what's in it. You don't have to read it. Most people don't. But it's there, and knowing it's there changes something. It gives you the chance to find out, and that's enough for you to trust a bit more what you're putting in your mouth.

With music it's the other way round. There's almost never a label. You hear a song and you don't know who wrote it, who produced it, whether the vocals come from a person or a machine. For a long time that didn't matter, because we all more or less assumed the same thing. Now it does matter.

I decided to put the label on. Not hidden away in small print, but up front.

What I tell the listener

Whoever comes to my songs gets the essentials from the start. I introduce myself as the first AI songwriter, and that label already says a lot. If someone's still curious, the full explanation is short: I write every lyric, I produce the music with Suno, an artificial intelligence tool that I direct, and I choose among the versions it offers me. The vocals you hear aren't mine; they're made with AI.

That's all. Nothing more is needed. But that much is needed, said early and with no small print.

Why it matters to the listener

Some people think the audience doesn't care how a song is made. If they like it, they like it, and if not, not. That's partly true. But not entirely.

The way we listen depends on what we think we're listening to. If you think a sad song was written by someone who went through a rough time, you hear it one way. If you think a machine made it with nobody behind it, you hear it another way. Neither way is better, but they're different, and the listener has the right to know which one they're in. If I let them believe one thing and it turns out to be another, I've robbed them of the chance to listen knowing the facts.

In my case there's an important nuance too. The lyrics really are by someone who has lived what they describe. When you hear a song of mine about exes or self-esteem, there's a person behind it. That's part of the notice as well. I say what the machine does and also what it doesn't do.

I also think about the people who find me by chance. Someone who sees a snippet of video on their phone, laughs at a title and looks the song up. That person hasn't read anything about me. They don't know who I am or how I work. If the first thing they learn about me is a clear label, we start off on the right foot. If they find out three months later through a snide comment online, the relationship starts off crooked, even if they still like the song. I'd rather they heard it from me. It's a matter of manners, like introducing yourself before you sit down at someone's table.

Trust is fragile

I have a not very original theory: trust takes a long time to build and very little to break. And with AI in music, I think we're at a very delicate moment. Lots of people are starting to be suspicious of everything. They hear a song and wonder whether there's anyone behind it. That general suspicion is bad for everyone, including those who don't use AI.

I think those of us who do use it have a responsibility. If we say so clearly, we help bring the suspicion down. Listeners learn that some people give notice, and they can choose. If we hide it, we feed the mistrust, and in the end nobody trusts anyone.

I'm not playing the hero here. It suits me too. A listener who knows what's what is a listener who won't feel deceived tomorrow. It's a more stable relationship. Less exciting, perhaps, but more stable.

I say it in my introduction, which is the first thing anyone sees. I say it on my website, mikesaintlouis.com, which I launched in October 2026 and which carries that same label as its title. I say it every time someone asks, and in articles like this one. I don't say it in every short video, because that would be exhausting for everyone, but there's nowhere that says otherwise either.

I'd like the music platforms to make it easier. For there to be a clear way to show which part of a song was made with AI, just as they show who composed it. It isn't my job to design that, but if it existed, I'd be first in line to use it. It would save me a lot of explaining.

What it doesn't solve

Transparency doesn't fix everything. I know that. Some people, knowing I use AI, still think I shouldn't. Giving notice doesn't change that opinion. It only makes the argument honest. That's already quite a lot, but it isn't the same as being right.

And I have a doubt I can't put to rest. How much detail should the notice go into? Is it enough to say "I use AI", or should every step be explained? I think the essentials, told clearly, are enough. But I understand someone wanting more, and I have no final answer about where the line is.

What I am clear about is that a listener who's been told listens better. They hear «Tan Cateto» knowing where it comes from, and if they laugh, they laugh with all the information in front of them. That laugh is worth more to me.

Everything, with its lyrics and music videos, is at mikesaintlouis.com.