Help Newgrounds Fight AI on the Audio Portal

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In light of me becoming User of the Day, I would like to direct everyone’s attention to an issue that is plaguing the Audio Portal: Tracks made entirely by artificial intelligence.

There is so, so much of it, and plenty more gets posted each day. In 2024 alone, I flagged 1500 AI-generated tracks (I refuse to call them “songs” or “music”). In 2025, I have flagged at least that so far, despite some inactivity the past couple months. These AI-generated tracks are usually made by Suno AI and are usually just thrown onto the portal with no cherry picking or editing. Manufactured noise. Most of the time it’s from unscouted users who think they found a “get scouted quick” scheme, but sometimes it’s from established, scouted users. Occasionally, these AI-generated tracks get frontpaged, to the horror of Tom and everyone on the Audio Portal Cleanup Thread. 

You might be wondering, how can I help? 

Well, the first thing is simply being aware of the issue, and by reading this post, you already have done that. Next I would recommend reading this guide that I co-authored with @ADR3-N. It has all you need to know about recognizing AI-generated tracks, whether you are a casual listener or are a dedicated AI hunter such as myself and @G2961. To summarize a main point of the guide, knowing whether a track is AI generated or not is done through both context clues and listening to the track itself. Starting out, my best advice is to pay attention to the vocals of a track, as that is the most accessible component for people inexperienced with AI. Take a listen to this example Suno AI track to see what I mean. Can you pick out a single voice in it? Does it sound scratchy? And would any vocalist in their right mind sing that way? 

Now that you know what AI sounds like, you can flag it when you come across it in the Audio Portal. If you are unsure, post it in the Audio Portal Cleanup Thread, or feel free to post your findings there regardless. It’s a good opportunity to check if others concur with you, report suspicious tracks, and to share with others what AI tracks sound like. 

One of the best ways you can help is by spreading the word about AI-generated tracks. Most people do not realize how advanced AI models have become and are unaware that services like Suno AI and Udio AI can regurgitate full tracks that are convincing enough to the general ear. 

What is at stake?

A lot, it turns out. Generative artificial intelligence is an amalgamation of stolen art blended and then hallucinated into slop, expending ludicrous amounts of power and fresh water all the while. In its own twisted way, generative artificial intelligence is Everything, by Everyone, yet the very antithesis of what this site stands for. The Audio Portal (and Newgrounds as a whole) is one of the last places on the internet that puts the priority of the artist over corporate greed. Please do what you can to treasure it and protect it. 

Thank you,

Quest

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Links:

Guide for Detecting AI-Generated Audio (co-authored by me and ADR3-N)

Infographic I made detailing AI tracks I encountered in 2024

Audio Portal Cleanup Thread