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AI Music Fraud: The Dark Side of Artificial Intelligence in the Music Industry

Explore the AI music fraud scandal and its implications for the music industry, including artists’ concerns and platforms’ responses.

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AI music fraud

TL;DR:

  • A US musician allegedly used AI and bots to fraudulently stream songs for millions in royalties.
  • The scheme involved thousands of AI-generated tracks and bot accounts.
  • Artists and record labels are concerned about the fair distribution of profits from AI-created music.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising industries worldwide, including the music sector. However, recent events have shed light on the darker side of AI in music, with fraudulent activities raising serious concerns. In a groundbreaking case, a musician in the US has been accused of using AI tools and bots to manipulate streaming platforms and claim millions in royalties. Let’s delve into the details of this scandal and explore the broader implications for the music industry.

The AI Music Fraud Scheme

Michael Smith, a 52-year-old from North Carolina, has been charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that Smith used AI-generated songs and thousands of bot accounts to stream these tracks billions of times across various platforms. This elaborate scheme aimed to avoid detection and claim over $10 million in royalty payments.

According to the indictment, Smith operated up to 10,000 active bot accounts at times. He partnered with the CEO of an unnamed AI music company, who supplied him with thousands of tracks each month. In exchange, Smith provided track metadata and a share of the streaming revenue. Emails between Smith and his co-conspirators reveal the sophistication of the technology used, making the scheme increasingly difficult to detect.

The Impact on the Music Industry

The rise of AI-generated music and the availability of free tools to create tracks have sparked concerns among artists and record labels. These tools are trained on vast amounts of data, often scraped indiscriminately from the web, including content protected by copyright. Artists feel their work is being used without proper recognition or compensation, leading to outrage across creative industries.

Earlier this year, a track that cloned the voices of Drake and The Weeknd went viral, prompting platforms to remove it swiftly. Additionally, prominent artists like Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Elvis Costello, and Aerosmith signed an open letter calling for an end to the “predatory” use of AI in the music industry.

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Platforms’ Response to AI Fraud

Music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube have taken steps to combat artificial stream inflation. Spotify, for instance, has implemented changes to its royalties policies, including charging labels and distributors for detected artificial streams and increasing the stream threshold for royalty payments. These measures aim to protect the integrity of the streaming ecosystem and ensure fair compensation for artists.

The Legal Consequences

Michael Smith faces severe legal consequences if found guilty, with potential prison sentences spanning decades. This case serves as a stark reminder of the legal and ethical boundaries surrounding AI and its applications. As AI continues to evolve, the need for robust regulations and enforcement becomes increasingly critical.

The Future of AI in Music

While the misuse of AI in the music industry is a cause for concern, it’s essential to recognise the positive potential of this technology. AI can enhance creativity, streamline production processes, and open new avenues for artistic expression. Balancing innovation with ethical considerations will be key to harnessing the benefits of AI while protecting the rights of creators.

Comment and Share:

What are your thoughts on the use of AI in the music industry? Do you believe it opens up new creative possibilities or poses a threat to artists’ rights? Share your opinions and experiences in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe for updates on AI and AGI developments.

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FAKE FACES, REAL CONSEQUENCES: Should NZ Ban AI in Political Ads?

New Zealand has no laws preventing the use of deepfakes or AI-generated content in political campaigns. As the 2025 elections approach, is it time for urgent reform?

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AI in New Zealand political campaigns

TL;DR — What You Need to Know

  • New Zealand politician campaigns are already dabbling with AI-generated content — but without clear rules or disclosures.
  • Deepfakes and synthetic images of ethnic minorities risk fuelling cultural offence and voter distrust.
  • Other countries are moving fast with legislation. Why is New Zealand dragging its feet?

AI in New Zealand Political Campaigns

Seeing isn’t believing anymore — especially not on the campaign trail.

In the build-up to the 2025 local body elections, New Zealand voters are being quietly nudged into a new kind of uncertainty: Is what they’re seeing online actually real? Or has it been whipped up by an algorithm?

This isn’t science fiction. From fake voices of Joe Biden in the US to Peter Dutton deepfakes dancing across TikTok in Australia, we’ve already crossed the threshold into AI-assisted campaigning. And New Zealand? It’s not far behind — it just lacks the rules.

The National Party admitted to using AI in attack ads during the 2023 elections. The ACT Party’s Instagram feed includes AI-generated images of Māori and Pasifika characters — but nowhere in the posts do they say the images aren’t real. One post about interest rates even used a synthetic image of a Māori couple from Adobe’s stock library, without disclosure.

That’s two problems in one. First, it’s about trust. If voters don’t know what’s real and what’s fake, how can they meaningfully engage? Second, it’s about representation. Using synthetic people to mimic minority communities without transparency or care is a recipe for offence — and harm.

Copy-Paste Cultural Clangers

Australians already find some AI-generated political content “cringe” — and voters in multicultural societies are noticing. When AI creates people who look Māori, Polynesian or Southeast Asian, it often gets the cultural signals all wrong. Faces are oddly symmetrical, clothing choices are generic, and context is stripped away. What’s left is a hollow image that ticks the diversity box without understanding the lived experience behind it.

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And when political parties start using those images without disclosure? That’s not smart targeting. That’s political performance, dressed up as digital diversity.

A Film-Industry Fix?

If you’re looking for a local starting point for ethical standards, look to New Zealand’s film sector. The NZ Film Commission’s 2025 AI Guidelines are already ahead of the game — promoting human-first values, cultural respect, and transparent use of AI in screen content.

The public service also has an AI framework that calls for clear disclosure. So why can’t politics follow suit?

Other countries are already acting. South Korea bans deepfakes in political ads 90 days before elections. Singapore outlaws digitally altered content that misrepresents political candidates. Even Canada is exploring policy options. New Zealand, in contrast, offers voluntary guidelines — which are about as enforceable as a handshake on a Zoom call.

Where To Next?

New Zealand doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. But it does need urgent rules — even just a basic requirement for political parties to declare when they’re using AI in campaign content. It’s not about banning creativity. It’s about respecting voters and communities.

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In a multicultural democracy, fake faces in real campaigns come with consequences. Trust, representation, and dignity are all on the line.


What do YOU think?

Should political parties be forced to declare AI use in their ads — or are we happy to let the bots keep campaigning for us?

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7 Mind-Blowing New ChatGPT Use Cases in 2025

Discover 7 powerful new ChatGPT use cases for 2025 — from sales training to strategic planning. Built for real businesses, not just techies.

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ChatGPT use cases in 2025

TL;DR — What You Need to Know:

  • ChatGPT use cases in 2025 — they’re changing the way we work – and fast
  • It’s new capabilities are shockingly useful — from real-time strategy building to smarter email, training, and customer service.
  • The tech’s no longer the limiting factor. How you use it is what sets winners apart.
  • You don’t need a dev team — just smart prompts, good judgement, and a bit of experimentation.

Welcome to Your New ChatGPT Use Cases in 2025

Something extraordinary is happening with AI — and this time, it’s not just another update. ChatGPT’s latest model has quietly become one of the most powerful tools on the planet, capable of outperforming human professionals in everything from sales role-play to strategic planning.

Here’s what’s changed: 2025’s AI isn’t just faster or more fluent. It’s fundamentally more useful. And while most people are still asking it to write birthday poems or summarise PDFs, smart businesses are doing something entirely different.

They’re solving real problems.

So here are 7 powerful, practical, and slightly mind-blowing ways you can use ChatGPT right now — whether you’re running a startup, scaling a business, or just trying to survive your inbox.

1. The Intelligence Quantum Leap

Let’s start with the big one. GPT-4o — OpenAI’s flagship model for 2025 — doesn’t just understand language. It reasons. It plans. It scores higher than the average human on standardised IQ tests.

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And yes, that’s both impressive and terrifying.

But the real win for business? You now have on-demand access to a logic machine that can unpack strategy, simulate market moves, and give brutally clear feedback on your plans — without needing a whiteboard or a 5-hour workshop.

Ask ChatGPT:

“Compare three go-to-market strategies for a mid-priced SaaS product in Southeast Asia targeting logistics firms.”

It’ll give you a side-by-side breakdown faster than most consultants.

Why it matters:

The days of ‘I’ll get back to you after I crunch the data’ are over. You now crunch in real time. Strategy meetings just got smarter — and shorter.

2. Email Management: The Silent Revolution

Email is where good ideas go to die. But what if AI could handle the grunt work — without sounding like a robot?

In 2025, it can. ChatGPT now plugs seamlessly into tools like Zapier, Make.com, and even Outlook or Gmail via APIs. That means you can automate 80% of your email workflow:

  • Draft responses in your tone of voice
  • Auto-tag or file messages based on content
  • Trigger follow-ups without lifting a finger

Real use case:

A boutique agency in Singapore uses ChatGPT to scan all inbound client emails, draft smart replies with custom links, and log actions in Notion. Result? 40% time saved, zero missed follow-ups.

But beware:

Letting AI send emails unsupervised is asking for trouble. Use a “draft-and-review” loop — AI writes it, you approve it.

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3. Voice-Powered Strategy: AI That Walks With You

Here’s a glimpse of the future: You’re walking to get kopi. You press and hold your ChatGPT app. You say:

“I’m thinking about launching a mini-course for HR leaders on AI literacy. Maybe bundle it with a coaching session. Can you sketch out a funnel?”

By the time you get back to your desk, it’s done. A structured funnel. Headline ideas. Audience personas. Even suggested pricing tiers.

This is now live.

The new voice interaction mode in ChatGPT feels like talking to a strategist who never gets tired. It remembers what you said, clarifies details, and adapts based on your feedback. Use it during your commute. In the gym. While cooking.

Think about it:

Your best thinking doesn’t always happen at your desk. Now, it doesn’t have to.

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4. Sales Role-Play (That Doesn’t Suck)

Sales teams have always known the value of practice. But let’s be honest: traditional role-play is awkward, slow, and often skipped.

Now imagine this: You open ChatGPT and say:

“Pretend you’re a CFO pushing back on my pitch for enterprise expense software. Hit me with your top three objections.”

It does. Relentlessly. Then you tweak it:

“Now play a more sceptical CFO. Use financial jargon. Be unimpressed.”

It does that too.

Why it works:

There’s no fear of judgement. No awkwardness. Just high-impact reps that sharpen your message and steel your nerves.

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Results?

One founder I know used this daily before calls — and closed 4 out of 5 deals that quarter. That’s not hype. That’s practice made perfect.

5. Marketing Psychology at Scale

Your customers are constantly telling you what they care about. But the signal’s buried in reviews, chats, complaints, comments, and survey feedback.

ChatGPT is now ridiculously good at sifting through this mess and surfacing insights — emotional tone, patterns in word choice, common objections, even specific desires.

Example prompt:

“Analyse these 250 customer reviews. What do customers love most? What words do they use to describe our product? What are their biggest frustrations?”

What you get is a heatmap of customer psychology.

Smart marketers use this to:

Reframe messaging

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Write landing pages in the customer’s voice

Identify overlooked objections early

Bonus trick:

Feed this analysis into your ad copywriting prompts. CTRs go up. Every. Single. Time.

6. 24/7 Customer Engagement — That Doesn’t Feel Robotic

We’ve all used chatbots that sound like your uncle trying to be cool. Not anymore.

With GPT-4o and custom instructions, you can now build a digital agent that actually sounds like your brand, asks smart follow-ups, and guides users toward decisions.

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Imagine this:

You run an e-commerce site. A customer asks about shipping options. Instead of a static FAQ or slow email reply, ChatGPT:

  • Asks where they’re based
  • Calculates delivery timelines
  • Recommends a bundled offer
  • Logs the lead to your CRM

All in real time.

Result?

One online skincare brand reported a 50% increase in cart completions just by switching to an AI-led chat system.

The real kicker? Customers prefer talking to it.

7. Your Digital Ops Manual — Finally Done

Every business struggles with documenting processes. SOPs are boring, messy, and constantly out of date.

But ChatGPT? It lives for this.

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Feed it rough notes, voice memos, old docs — and it turns them into clear, structured workflows.

Now take it one step further:
Set up a private knowledge base where your team can ask questions naturally and get precise answers.

“What’s our refund process for EU customers?”
“How do I update a client billing profile?”
“What’s the Slack etiquette for our sales team?”

ChatGPT answers. With citations.

Training time drops. Mistakes go down. New hires ramp up faster.

Best of all?

It gets smarter the more your team uses it.

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So… What’s Stopping You Trying These ChatGPT Use Cases in 2025?

Every use case in this article is live. Affordable. And 100% usable today. No code. No dev team. No six-month roadmap.

Just smarter thinking — and a willingness to try.

So here’s the real question:

What’s your excuse for not using AI like this yet… and how long can you afford to wait?

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  • Or try these out now on the free version of ChatGPT by tapping here.

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AI Just Killed 8 Jobs… But Created 15 New Ones Paying £100k+

AI is eliminating roles — but creating new ones that pay £100k+. Here are 15 fast-growing jobs in AI and how to prepare for them in Asia.

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AI jobs paying £100k

TL;DR — What You Need to Know:

  • AI is replacing roles in moderation, customer service, writing, and warehousing—but it’s not all doom.
  • In its place, AI created jobs paying £100k: prompt engineers, AI ethicists, machine learning leads, and more.
  • The winners? Those who pivot now and get skilled, while others wait it out.

Let’s not sugar-coat it: AI has already taken your job.

Or if it hasn’t yet, it’s circling. Patiently. Quietly.

But here’s the twist: AI isn’t just wiping out roles — it’s creating some of the most lucrative career paths we’ve ever seen. The catch? You’ll need to move faster than the machines do.

The headlines love a doomsday spin — robots stealing jobs, mass layoffs, the end of work. But if you read past the fear, you’ll spot a very different story: one where new six-figure jobs are exploding in demand.

And they’re not just for coders or people with PhDs in quantum linguistics. Many of these jobs value soft skills, writing, ethics, even common sense — just with a new AI twist.

So here’s your clear-eyed guide:

  • 8 jobs that AI is quietly (or not-so-quietly) killing
  • 15 roles growing faster than a ChatGPT thread on Reddit — and paying very, very well.

8 Jobs AI Is Already Eliminating (or Shrinking Fast)

1. Social Media Content Moderators

Remember the armies of humans reviewing TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook posts for nudity or hate speech? Well, they’re disappearing. TikTok now uses AI to catch 80% of violations before humans ever see them. It’s faster, tireless, and cheaper.

Most social platforms are following suit. The remaining humans deal with edge cases or trauma-heavy content no one wants to automate… but the bulk of the work is now machine-led.

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2. Customer Service Representatives

You’ve chatted with a bot recently. So has everyone.
Klarna’s AI assistant replaced 700 human agents in one swoop. IKEA has quietly shifted call centre support to fully automated systems. These AI tools handle everything from order tracking to password resets.

The result? Companies save money. Customers get 24/7 responses. And entry-level service jobs vanish.

3. Telemarketers and Call Centre Agents

Outbound sales? It’s been digitised. AI voice systems now make thousands of simultaneous calls, shift tone mid-sentence, and even spot emotional cues. They never need a lunch break — and they’re hard to distinguish from a real person.

Companies now use humans to plan campaigns, but the actual calls? Fully automated. If your job was cold-calling, it’s time to reskill — fast.

4. Data Entry Clerks

Manual input is gone. OCR + AI means documents are scanned, sorted, and uploaded instantly. IBM has paused hiring for 7,800 back-office jobs as automation takes over.

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Across insurance, banking, healthcare — companies that once hired data entry clerks by the dozen now need just a few to manage exceptions.

5. Retail Cashiers

Self-checkout kiosks were just the start. Amazon Go stores use computer vision to eliminate the checkout experience altogether — just grab and go.

Walmart and Tesco are rolling out similar models. Even mid-sized retailers are using AI to reduce cashier shifts by 10–25%. Humans now restock and assist — not scan.

6. Warehouse & Fulfilment Staff

Amazon’s warehouses are a case study in automation. Autonomous robots pick, pack, and ship faster than any human.
The result? Fewer injuries, more efficiency… and fewer humans.

Even smaller logistics firms are adopting warehouse AI, as costs drop and robots become “as-a-service”.

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7. Translators & Content Writers (Basic-Level)

Generative AI is fast, multilingual, and on-brand. Duolingo replaced much of its content writing team with GPT-driven systems.

Marketing teams now use AI for product descriptions, blogs, and ads. Humans still do strategy — but the daily word count? AI’s job now.

8. Entry-Level Graphic Designers

AI tools like Midjourney, Ideogram, and Adobe Firefly generate visuals from a sentence. Logos, pitch decks, ad banners — all created in seconds. The entry-level designer who used to churn out social graphics? No longer essential.

Top-tier creatives still thrive. But production design? That’s already AI’s turf.

Are you futureproofed—or just hoping you’re not next?

15 AI-Driven Jobs Now Paying £100k+

Now for the exciting bit. While AI clears out repetitive roles, it also opens new high-paying jobs that didn’t exist 3 years ago.

These aren’t sci-fi ideas. These are real jobs being filled today — many in Singapore, Australia, India, and Korea — with salaries to match.

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1. Machine Learning Engineer

The architects of AI itself. They build the algorithms powering everything from fraud detection to self-driving cars.
Salary: £85k–£210k
Needed: Python, TensorFlow/PyTorch, strong maths. Highly sought after across finance, healthcare, and Big Tech.

2. Data Scientist

Translates oceans of data into actual insights. Think Netflix recommendations, pricing strategies, or disease forecasting.
Salary: £70k–£160k
Key skills: Python, SQL, R, storytelling. A killer combo of tech + communication.

3. Prompt Engineer

No code needed — just words.
They craft the perfect prompts to steer AI models like ChatGPT toward accurate, helpful results.
Salary: £110k–£200k+
Writers, marketers, and linguists are all pivoting into this role. It’s exploding.

4. AI Product Manager

You don’t build the AI — you make it useful.
This role bridges business needs and tech teams to launch products that solve real problems.
Salary: £120k–£170k
Ideal for ex-consultants, startup leads, or technical PMs with an eye for product-market fit.

5. AI Ethics / Governance Specialist

Someone has to keep the machines honest. These specialists ensure AI is fair, safe, and compliant.
Salary: £100k–£170k
Perfect for lawyers, philosophers, or policy pros who understand AI’s social impact.

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6. AI Compliance / Audit Specialist

GDPR. HIPAA. The EU AI Act.
These specialists check that AI systems follow legal rules and ethical standards.
Salary: £90k–£150k
Especially hot in finance, healthcare, and enterprise tech.

7. Data Engineer / MLOps Engineer

Behind every smart model is a ton of infrastructure.
Data Engineers build it. MLOps Engineers keep it running.
Salary: £90k–£140k
You’ll need DevOps, cloud computing, and Python chops.

8. AI Solutions Architect

The big-picture thinker. Designs AI systems that actually work at scale.
Salary: £110k–£160k
In demand in cloud, consulting, and enterprise IT.

9. Computer Vision Engineer

They teach machines to see.
From autonomous cars to medical scans to supermarket cameras — it’s all vision.
Salary: £120k+
Strong Python + OpenCV/TensorFlow is a must.

10. Robotics Engineer (AI + Machines)

Think factory bots, surgical arms, or drone fleets.
You’ll need both hardware knowledge and machine learning skills.
Salary: £100k–£150k+
A rare mix = big pay.

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11. Autonomous Vehicle Engineer

Still one of AI’s toughest challenges — and best-paid verticals.
Salary: £120k+
Roles in perception, planning, and safety. Tesla, Waymo, and China’s Didi all hiring like mad.

12. AI Cybersecurity Specialist

Protect AI… with AI.
This job prevents attacks on models and builds AI-powered threat detection.
Salary: £120k+
Perfect for seasoned security pros looking to specialise.

13. Human–AI Interaction Designer (UX for AI)

Humans don’t trust what they don’t understand.
These designers make AI usable, friendly, and ethical.
Salary: £100k–£135k
Great path for UXers who want to go deep into AI systems.

14. LLM Trainer / Model Fine-tuner

You teach ChatGPT how to behave. Literally.
Using reinforcement learning, you align models with human values.
Salary: £100k–£180k
Ideal for teachers, researchers, or anyone great at structured thinking.

15. AI Consultant / Solutions Specialist

Advises companies on where and how to use AI.
Part analyst, part strategist, part translator.
Salary: £120k+
Management consultants and ex-founders thrive here.

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The Bottom Line: You Don’t Need to Fear AI. You Need to Work With It.

If AI is your competition, you’re already behind. But if it’s your co-pilot, you’re ahead of 90% of the workforce.

This isn’t just about learning to code. It’s about learning to think differently.
To communicate with machines.
To spot where humans still matter — and amplify that with tech.

Because while AI might be killing off 8 jobs…

It’s creating 15 new ones that pay double — and need smart, curious, adaptable people.

So—

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Will you let AI automate you… or will you get paid to run it?


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