Michael Smith Gets 18 Months for AI Streaming Fraud That Drove 80.9 Million Fake Monthly Plays
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Oct 7
Michael Smith Gets 18 Months for AI Streaming Fraud That Drove 80.9 Million Fake Monthly Plays
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Oct 7
Summary
Michael Smith, 54, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to an AI-assisted music streaming scheme that the Justice Department said stole millions over seven years.
Starting in 2017, Smith used fake emails, fraudulently obtained debit cards and software-controlled bots to create thousands of bogus accounts on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music.
By his 2024 arrest, prosecutors said he had generated hundreds of thousands of AI-made songs and spread billions of automated streams across them to avoid detection.
In April 2023 alone, Smith’s tracks logged 80.9 million fraudulent streams, compared with 9.3 million for Taylor Swift’s entire catalog, according to the DOJ.
The Justice Department said Smith, first charged in 2024, is the first American criminally charged in an AI-assisted streaming fraud case.