Man Sentenced to Prison for Bot Streams of AI Songs

A North Carolina man, Mike Smith, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for orchestrating the collection of millions in royalties from bot-driven streams of AI-generated music, according to Rolling Stone. He is the first individual to face federal charges related to music streaming fraud. From 2017 to 2024, Smith employed thousands of bots to stream his own compositions and AI-generated tracks he procured and uploaded to streaming platforms.

Smith later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that could have resulted in a maximum five-year prison sentence. However, Smith's legal team had argued for probation, while federal prosecutors demanded a minimum 46-month sentence. As part of his plea agreement, Smith agreed to turn over $8 million in streaming earnings.

In addition to his prison term, Smith will also serve two years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald stated that by inundating music streaming services with automated bots and fake songs in place of genuine consumers and artistic creations, Smith had deprived legitimate artists and their fans of millions in royalty payments.

McDonald emphasized the commitment of the U.S. Attorney's Office to maintain market integrity and protect the public from fraud perpetrated by superintelligent means. In 2025, a coalition of musicians had accused streaming giant Spotify of neglecting the issue of artificial streaming, citing an analysis suggesting that Drake might have benefited from billions of fake streams.