The Vergecast: Mike Smith's AI Music Streaming Fraud and the Fight Over Slop

This Vergecast episode features Wired's Kate Knibbs discussing Mike Smith, the first person criminally charged for AI-assisted music streaming fraud, and what his case reveals about bots, platform rules, and AI-generated content. It opens with a rapid news roundup on Apple's Home View, video game updates, and AI agents, then examines Smith's path from music hopeful to an $8 million streaming scheme.

■ Tech News Roundup
- Apple Home View $299 smart display pre-orders and reactions to another screen
- Fortnite coming to Linux as Epic reworks anti-cheat
- Rockstar's confidence in post-GTA 6 development timeline
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake impressions
- AI agents vs websites, including JPMorgan Chase blocking agents

■ Mike Smith Case and Background
- Smith's earlier healthcare clinics, music ambitions, record label, and BET reality show
- Use of Boomy, AI-generated songs, fictitious artists, and bot networks
- Charges, guilty plea, 18-month sentence, and $8.91 million repayment

■ Streaming Fraud and AI Slop Implications
- Distinction between AI music legality and artificial stream inflation
- Platform detection, Spotify removal of 75M songs, and Universal Music Group v. Drokid
- Prediction markets and new incentives to bot streams
- Challenges of policing AI-assisted content and platform integrity

This episode is suited for listeners interested in music streaming fraud, AI-generated content, platform policy, and technology news. It provides context on the legal case, industry reactions, and unresolved questions about policing artificial streams and AI slop.