Sony Removes 135,000 AI Deepfakes of Artists’ Music From Streaming Services

Sony has requested the removal of over 135,000 songs from streaming services, claiming they are generative AI deepfakes of its artists. The major label has suggested this is only a fraction of the total deepfakes on streaming.

The details:

• Sony has identified 60,000 songs using AI impersonations of its artists since last March.

• Those songs may involve false representations of Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, and Mark Ronson.

Background:

• Sony is the only major label that hasn’t made a licensing deal with dominant AI music companies Suno and Udio.

• Sony has launched new tech to identify AI in copyrighted material and partnered with SoundPatrol, a company that uses “neural embeddings” to detect copyrighted works in AI-generated music.

What they said:

• Dennis Kooker, President of Sony's Global Digital Business: "In the worst cases, [the deepfakes] potentially damage a release campaign or tarnish the reputation of an artist. The problem with deepfakes are they are a demand-driven event. They are taking advantage of the fact that an artist is out there promoting their music. That is when deepfakes are at their worst - building off and benefiting from the demand the artist has created, [and] ultimately detracting from what the artist is trying to accomplish."