Man Sentenced to Prison for Bot Streams of AI Songs
Pitchfork • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Mike Smith, a North Carolina musician, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for using thousands of bots to fraudulently stream AI-generated and his own songs, earning millions in royalties from 2017 to 2024.
- He pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, and agreed to forfeit $8 million in streaming proceeds as part of his plea deal.
- Smith will also undergo two years of supervised release following his prison term, with prosecutors originally seeking a 46-month sentence while his lawyers argued for probation.
- U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald condemned Smith's actions for undermining genuine artists and fans, emphasizing the commitment to market integrity and protection against fraud involving "super intelligence," a term recently adopted by the Department of Justice.
- This case marks the first federal prosecution for music streaming fraud involving AI-generated content, highlighting growing legal scrutiny of artificial intelligence misuse in the entertainment industry.
