TikTok and UMG Crack Down on Illegal AI Music to Protect Artists' Rights

Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have extended their licensing agreement, committing to remove illegally generated artificial intelligence (AI) music from TikTok’s platform and improve attribution for artists and songwriters.

In a joint statement, UMG said the partnership expands both parties’ commitment to protecting AI that supports human artistry, while ensuring platform revenues effectively reach artists and songwriters.

“TikTok and UMG will collaborate to remove illegally generated AI music from the platform while enhancing artist and songwriter attribution,” the joint statement, cited by TechCrunch on Thursday, 28 May 2026, read.

The new agreement marks a significant moment in UMG and TikTok’s relationship after tensions throughout 2024. Previously, UMG publicly criticised TikTok for not taking the issue of AI-generated music and copyright infringements seriously enough.

The dispute led to UMG temporarily removing its music catalog from TikTok, causing popular songs by major artists to disappear from millions of global user videos.

TikTok’s commitment to tackling unauthorised AI music comes amid growing global music industry concerns over generative AI. Over recent years, AI tools have created songs mimicking famous artists’ voices or produced fake music using streaming platform algorithms to gain popularity.

The phenomenon sparked major controversy when AI-generated viral songs impersonating musicians like Drake and The Weeknd spread online, with some tracks amassing millions of streams before being taken down for copyright and personality rights violations.