US man who used bots to stream AI-generated songs for royalties gets 18 months in prison and $8M forfeiture (community report)

What happened

According to a post on GeekNews, Michael Smith in the US was sentenced to 18 months in prison for using bots to repeatedly stream AI-generated songs and collect millions of dollars in streaming royalties. He also forfeited $8 million in royalties obtained fraudulently from 2017 until his arrest in 2024. Up to 10,000 fake accounts were used in the scheme.

Why it matters

This is a case in which a prison sentence was handed down for fraud combining AI-generated music with streaming manipulation. The ruling could inform music platforms' policies on vetting AI content and distributing royalties.

Sources

• Community 미국 남성, 봇으로 음악 스트리밍 횟수를 조작해 징역형 선고받음 GeekNews