An AI music generator company pulled a promotional video featuring R&B artist Mary J. Blige after discovering the deal was not authorized by the musician. The 85-second advertisement, which circulated widely online late last month, showed Blige apparently reacting positively to an AI-generated song styled similarly to her classic work. According to Suno, the company had negotiated with someone claiming to represent Blige officially, but later learned this individual lacked authority to make such arrangements on her behalf. The video depicted Blige in a studio setting watching a producer build a track titled “Pretty Flowers,” with editing that made her responses ambiguous regarding what she was actually commenting on.
Suno stated it valued Blige as an icon and had aimed to collaborate with her based on her career achievements. Upon realizing the unauthorized nature of the agreement and Blige’s discomfort with the campaign, the company terminated it. A second, more heavily edited version of the video also circulated online, though it remained unclear whether Suno created that clip or if it originated from an unaffiliated party.
The incident occurred during a challenging period for Suno’s business operations. The company has faced ongoing copyright disputes with major record labels, including active litigation with Universal and Sony. Although Suno had secured licensing agreements with Warner and BMG, it continued facing legal challenges. Earlier in the week, the company was sued by Americana musician Jason Isbell and others alleging Suno enabled users to create tracks mimicking specific musicians’ identities without consent. Additionally, a German court earlier that month had determined the company violated copyright laws in both the United States and Germany.
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