Scammers used AI-generated Frank Ocean songs to steal 1000's of {dollars}

Extra AI-generated music mimicking a well-known artist has made the rounds — whereas making a lot of cash for the scammer passing it off as real. A group of pretend Frank Ocean songs bought for a reported $13,000 CAD ($9,722 in US {dollars}) final month on a music-leaking discussion board dedicated to the Grammy-winning singer, according to Vice. If the story sounds acquainted, it’s primarily a recycling of final month’s AI Drake / The Weeknd fiasco.

As generative AI takes the world by storm — Google simply devoted most of its I/O 2023 keynote to it — individuals desperate to make a fast buck via unscrupulous means are seizing the second earlier than copyright legal guidelines catch up. It’s additionally triggered complications for Spotify, which just lately pulled not simply Faux Drake however tens of 1000’s of other AI-generated tracks after receiving complaints from Common Music.

The scammer, who used the deal with mourningassasin, advised Vice they employed somebody to make “round 9” Ocean songs utilizing “very high-quality vocal snippets” of the Thinkin Bout You singer’s voice. The consumer posted a clip from one of many pretend tracks to a leaked-music discussion board and claims to have rapidly satisfied its customers of its authenticity. “Immediately, I observed everybody began to imagine it,” mourningassasin stated. The truth that Ocean hasn’t launched a brand new album since 2016 and just lately teased an upcoming follow-up to Blond could have added to the eagerness to imagine the songs have been actual.

The scammer claims a number of individuals expressed curiosity in personal messages, providing to “pay huge cash for it.” They reportedly fetched $3,000 to $4,000 for every music in mid to late April. The consumer has since been banned from the leaked-music discussion board, which can be having an existential disaster as AI-generated music makes it simpler than ever to supply convincing knockoffs. “This example has put a significant dent in our server’s credibility, and can end in mistrust from any new and unverified vendor all through these communities,” stated the proprietor of a Discord server the place the pretend tracks gained traction.

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