Technology
Man arrested by FBI for using AI to create music and make over $10 million profit
A musician who can be considered unknown (until now) named Michael Smith, aged 52, made around $10 million dollars in approximately 7 years. This raised suspicions from the authorities, who decided to investigate and discovered that he used artificial intelligence to create his works.
He was arrested by the FBI on September 4, 2024 and could receive a sentence of up to 60 years. According to US authorities, he faces fraud charges and will be brought before a US magistrate judge in North Carolina. Understand below what he did.
US Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Michael Smith fraudulently streamed songs created with artificial intelligence billions of times to steal royalties.
Through his brazen fraud scheme, Smith stole millions in royalties that should have been paid to musicians, songwriters, and other rights holders whose songs were broadcast legitimately. Today, thanks to the work of the FBI and the career prosecutors of this Office, it is time for Smith to face the music."
According to the indictment in Manhattan federal court, "these royalties were taken from a royalty fund that streaming platforms must set aside for artists who broadcast sound recordings that incorporate musical compositions," the indictment states.
Certainly his ethics as a musician are quite questionable and his methods were not the most noble, but many internet users question whether he really should have been arrested for fraud.
It is worth mentioning that these platforms have systems that identify this type of practice and delete the accounts, but Smith managed to circumvent them all for years in an exceptional way. The fact that they are considered frauds is one of the arguments that claim that his arrest is more than fair, as he artificially leveraged his numbers.