"Michael Smith generated thousands of fake songs using artificial intelligence and then streamed those fake songs billions of times, US attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement."
"Although the songs and listeners were fake, the millions of dollars Smith stole was real. Millions of dollars in royalties that Smith diverted from real, deserving artists and rights holders."
"Smith had used AI to make the music AND the audience and had made $1.2m a year for music no human ever actually listened to."
Michael Smith, a 52-year-old from North Carolina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud by generating thousands of AI-created songs. He used automated bots to inflate streaming numbers into the billions, defrauding music platforms and fellow musicians of over $10 million in royalties. This case marks one of the first successful prosecutions of AI-related fraud in the music industry, which faces challenges from fake music that undermines legitimate artists and copyright holders. Smith's actions resulted in millions diverted from deserving musicians.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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