Sony Music Steps Up Fight Against AI Deepfake Songs

Sony Music is significantly increasing its efforts to combat AI-generated deepfake music that imitates the voices and likenesses of its artists. The company told the Financial Times that it had requested the removal of more than 260,000 tracks by the end of September, nearly double the 135,000 tracks it had targeted for removal by the end of March. Sony said unauthorized AI deepfakes are being produced at scale, harming artists, misleading listeners and raising concerns about the responsible use of artificial intelligence in music.

The fake recordings have reportedly targeted artists including Harry Styles, Adele, Britney Spears, Queen and the late Michael Jackson. AI voice-cloning technology allows creators to produce recordings that can closely resemble the vocals and musical styles of established performers, making it increasingly difficult for listeners to immediately distinguish authentic releases from unauthorized material. Sony has warned that these recordings can be particularly damaging when they appear during an artist’s active promotional campaign because they can take advantage of existing fan demand.

The deepfake problem is also connected to a wider issue of streaming fraud. Fraudsters can generate large quantities of AI music and use automated accounts or bots to repeatedly stream the recordings, potentially diverting royalty payments away from legitimate artists. Sony executives have suggested that fraudulent activity could represent a significant share of streams across music platforms, while industry estimates cited by the Financial Times put the potential annual cost of streaming fraud at as much as $2.2 billion.

Streaming platforms are responding with their own detection and transparency measures. Deezer, for example, has reported a rapid increase in AI-generated music uploads and has developed systems for identifying and labeling AI-created recordings. In July, Sony and other major music organizations also supported a unified labeling approach distinguishing between “AI-Generated” and “AI-Assisted” recordings, giving listeners clearer information about how generative AI was used in a track.

Sony’s latest crackdown reflects a broader battle over how artificial intelligence should be used in the music business. The company has said it supports responsible AI innovation while insisting that artists’ copyrights, voices and likenesses must be protected. Sony has also invested in technology designed to identify unauthorized uses of intellectual property and has formally opted its music content out of AI training and related text-and-data-mining uses except where specifically authorized. As AI-generated music becomes easier to produce and distribute, the industry is likely to face continued pressure to improve detection, labeling, licensing and enforcement.