Tools & Platforms

Viral band success spawns AI claims and hoaxes

Published

2 months ago

July 3, 2025

A band called The Velvet Sundown has had its tracks played hundreds of thousands of times on Spotify since appearing several weeks ago – without anyone knowing for sure what it is.

The band has a verified page on the music streaming platform, with more than 850,000 monthly listeners.

However, none of the four named musicians in the band have given any interviews or appear to have individual social media accounts, and there are no records of any live performances.

It has prompted accusations that they and their music are artificial intelligence (AI) generated – something the band denies on social media.

It did not respond to the BBC’s request for an interview.

Further confusing the story, Rolling Stone US reported that the band’s spokesman had admitted The Velvet Sundown’s music had been generated using an AI tool called Suno – only for the magazine to report shortly afterwards that the spokesman was himself a hoax.

The man, who goes by the name of Andrew Frelon, said it was a deliberate plot to hoax the media.

A statement on the band’s Spotify page says that the group has “no affiliation with this individual, nor any evidence confirming their identity or existence.”

An account on X which claims to be the band’s official channel, is also fake, it added.

Professor Gina Neff, from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, says it points to a problem which affects much more than just one band.

“Whether this is an AI band may not seem important,” she told me.

“But increasingly, our collective grip on reality seems shaky. The Velvet Sundown story plays into the fears we have of losing control of AI and shows how important protecting online information is.”

The Velvet Sundown’s indie ballads, with guitar music and male vocals, is fairly easy, if bland, on the ear.

With lyrics such as “eyes like film in faded light, dreams walk barefoot into the night” and “ash and velvet, smoke and flame, calling out in freedom’s name”, it could all feasibly be either AI-generated or penned by humans.

Deezer, a rival music streaming platform, said that its AI detector tool had flagged the music as being “100% AI generated”.

Spotify did not respond to a request for comment.

CEO Daniel Ek has previously told the BBC that he did not intend to ban AI-generated music from the platform but added that he did not agree with using the tech to mimic real artists.

Many in the creative arts industry are deeply concerned about the impact of AI.

Hundreds of musicians have protested about the use of their content in the training of AI tools to create music.

Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa joined many members of the House of Lords in fighting for the UK government to include AI and copyright in a new set of laws regarding data use and access. Their campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.

The government says it is carrying out a separate consultation about AI and copyright.

Ed Newton Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, which campaigns for AI firms to respect creators’ rights, said the questions around the The Velvet Sundown bore out musicians’ concerns.

“This is exactly what artists have been worried about, it’s theft dressed up as competition,” he said.

“AI companies steal artists’ work to build their products, then flood the market with knock-offs, meaning less money goes to human musicians.”

Sophie Jones, chief strategy officer at BPI, said it illustrated the need for government action.

“This discussion reinforces many of the concerns raised by the music industry and artist community in recent months on the critical issues of AI and music rights.

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Tools & Platforms

AI technology targets traffic safety, aims to reduce 40,000 annual U.S. roadway deaths

Published

18 minutes ago

September 6, 2025

Natalie Fahmy

AI technology is being used all around us to help bolster safety, and a recent innovation is aiming to help prevent traffic accidents.

“It really is one of the biggest crises in the U.S., to see 40,000 people a year dying on our roadways,” Vice President of Rekor Systems Paul Zamsky said.

Rekor Systems was founded in 2017, with the goal of using AI and roadway data to make drivers safer.

“Detecting where crashes have happened without having to wait for a 911 call or identifying the areas that are riskier so that we could identify potential preventative measures and work with agencies to help prevent crashes from happening,” Zamsky said.

Zamsky said the technology has been out in pilot form for a few years now across the USA, and said it is more than just using historic data of crash hot spots.

“There’s weather, there’s contextual driving behavior like are you swerving, accelerating, decelerating, is there an event happening, is there construction happening,” he said.

Data from cars helps the company identify risky roadways and possible solutions. Zamsky said all the data they do get is anonymous and in an aggregated fashion; he said the car acts almost as a virtual sensor.

“That enables us really to see what is happening on the road without having to have physical infrastructure, millions of dollars of hardware and cameras and everything put on the side of the road to be able to understand those roadways,” Zamsky said.

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Tools & Platforms

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Published

4 hours ago

September 6, 2025

Brendan Frye

With a 6mm-thick smartphone and a sub-900g AI laptop, TECNO is trying to show IFA that thin doesn’t mean underpowered.

TECNO is set to take centre stage at this year’s IFA ShowStoppers in Berlin with a showcase that highlights both design finesse and artificial intelligence integration. Under the theme “The Thinnest Power Duo,” the company will present its ultra-slim smartphone, the Tecno Slim, first shown at MWC 2025, alongside the featherlight Megabook S14 AI laptop.

The TECNO Slim builds on the excitement generated when attendees first went hands-on with the device at Mobile World Congress. Now arriving in its mass-production form, it is ready to hit the market. Measuring under 6 mm thick, the phone is billed as the world’s slimmest 3D-curved device, promising to balance its sleek body with a large-capacity battery and strong performance. The handset features a high-end display and AI-driven functions, targeting users who want both elegance and substance without compromise.

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Having played around with the TECNO Slim in Barcelona, I am eager to see how it fares in real-world use. With its lightweight and thin design, it is hard not to be excited to see if it can hold up against modern flagship phones.

On the computing front, TECNO’s Megabook S14 makes its debut as the lightest 14-inch OLED AI laptop at just 899 grams. The device is powered by either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or Intel’s Core Ultra 9, offering strong performance both online and offline. Among its integrated AI tools are real-time meeting transcription, presentation drafting and intelligent photo management.

“We are excited to join IFA ShowStoppers with products that challenge industry conventions,” said Jack Guo, General Manager of TECNO. “The TECNO Slim and MEGABOOK S14 represent our commitment to delivering meaningful innovation – proving that consumers no longer need to choose between elegant design and powerful performance.”

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Beyond the headlines, TECNO is also unveiling its ever-expanding AI-powered ecosystem. The brand will showcase a lineup that includes the Megapad Pro tablet for students and professionals, True 2 AI earbuds with noise cancellation and spatial audio, the Watch GT AI smartwatch, and the AI Glasses Pro — the first eyewear to integrate a 50-megapixel imaging system. The Megabook K Series laptops, already available in Spain and France, will also feature as part of Tecno’s push into broader European markets.

Visitors attending ShowStoppers on Sept. 4 at Berlin Messe will have the opportunity to test these new devices firsthand at TECNO’s booth at Table 21. The company says hands-on demos will highlight both AI features and the seamless ecosystem connectivity that continue to define its “Stop At Nothing” philosophy. Stay tuned to CGMagazine for all the news out of IFA and beyond.

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