Sony asks to remove 260,000 AI-cloned songs
In March, claims totaled 135,000; in six months the figure nearly doubled, according to data Sony Music shared with the Financial Times.
That voice you recognize may not belong to the singer. Sony Music has asked for the removal of more than 260,000 AI-cloned songs from its artists' catalog, Xataka México reported, with a cutoff date of September.
The figure is not an isolated spike. At the end of March 2026, the label's claims totaled 135,000, and a year earlier they barely exceeded 75,000, according to data Sony Music shared with the Financial Times. These are formal requests to digital services, not the exact total of tracks the platforms have deleted.
Among the names appearing in those unauthorized imitations are Harry Styles, Adele, Britney Spears, Queen and Michael Jackson. These are sonic deepfakes: audio that attributes to a performer a recording that never existed, simulating collaborations or unreleased songs.
«Your voice is part of who you are; God made us people, not files.»
What Sony wants to stop
Sony is not asking to shut down artificial intelligence. What it wants to stop is someone passing off as theirs what is not. In 2024 it prohibited its works from feeding AI models without prior licensing and, in parallel, closed alliances with projects like KLAY to explore legal uses.
Deleting a track solves half the problem. The label denounces that a removed song usually reappears within days, so moderation becomes an endless chase. That is why it asks platforms to block the re-upload of the same file, instead of reacting only when a complaint arrives.
Filters, agreements and a pending law
In July 2026, Sony pushed with other major firms an initiative so that any AI song aspiring to the charts comes from authorized tools, has a real human contribution and does not deceive the listener.
The company also backs the NO FAKES Act, a federal proposal in the United States against voice or image cloning without permission. It passed unanimously through the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 18 and still awaits its final vote.
The phenomenon overflows a single label. Deezer reported in July that during June it was receiving an average of nearly 90,000 tracks made entirely with AI each day.
On its most active days, that came to represent more than half of everything uploaded. Not all those tracks copy someone famous, but they show the tide.
Your playlist and the voice as identity
For you, who builds playlists while studying or driving, the practical question is simple: did anyone announce that "new" song from your favorite artist? If it sounds identical to the original, does not appear on their social media and no one on their team mentioned it, it most likely is not theirs.
There is something deeper than a copyright dispute. Your voice is part of who you are; God made us people, not files.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27, ESV). Producing music with new tools is legitimate work and can give glory to God. What it cannot do is pass itself off as someone else: falsehood is not innovation.
Before sharing, check where the audio came from and do not help it circulate. And a question for you: should every song made with AI carry a label, no matter who listens to it? Tell us what you think.
