Today’s Vergecast: The $8 million AI music scam.
A man named Mike Smith was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison, and a fine in excess of $8 million, for creating an AI system that faked billions of streams and earned him millions in royalties. Wired’s Kate Knibbs explains how Smith pulled it off, how he got caught, and what this case means for the internet’s growing slop problems.
TL;DR
- Mike Smith received an 18-month prison sentence and a fine exceeding $8 million.
- He developed an AI system to fake billions of music streams.
- The AI system generated millions of dollars in royalties for Smith.
- Kate Knibbs of Wired explains the scam, how Smith was caught, and its implications for internet problems.