Warner Music Group has announced an agreement to acquire Sureel AI, a company that uses AI to detect when musicians’ work is referenced in AI-generated content or used to train AI models, and enforce artists’ rights.
Sureel has patented technology that creates “AI DNA” for every piece of music to trace how it’s being used. The company also reports on intellectual property, tracking artist name, image, and likeness data across AI platforms. The reporting includes how artists are being used in AI, including “voice clones, AI-generated avatars, and style replication.”
Sureel says it already has millions of music assets, with the tools in place to grow the technology at scale, which is where Warner Music Group comes in. Sureel will continue to operate as a standalone platform, using Warner Music’s resources to continue to grow.
“AI powers a large fan engagement and value creation opportunity for our industry, while making the human provenance of music more important than ever,” said Robert Kyncl, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Music Group. “Bringing Sureel into WMG strengthens our capability for protection, control and monetization and ensures that the creative community remains in control of its intellectual property, name, image, likeness, and voice. We look forward to working with Tamay and his team to advance all of their incredible work.”
Dr. Tamay Aykut, Chief Executive Officer + Founder, Sureel AI, added: “Rightsholders deserve to know how AI interacts with their work, and to share fairly in the value it creates. Sureel was built to make that possible, and with WMG’s backing, we can deliver on our mission at scale, building a more transparent and fair future and driving value growth for the whole music and entertainment ecosystem.”