Warner Music Group (WMG) announced Wednesday that it is acquiring Sureel AI, a startup specializing in AI attribution. Sureel’s patented technology creates what it calls “AI DNA” for songs, breaking them down into individual components to trace how artificial intelligence models use those elements. With this acquisition, WMG aims to improve its ability to monitor when the work of its artists and songwriters is utilized in AI-generated content or for training AI models.

“Bringing Sureel into WMG strengthens our capability for protection, control and monetization and ensures that the creative community remains in control of its intellectual property, name, image, likeness, and voice,” WMG chief executive Robert Kyncl said in a press release. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2022, Sureel also provides services such as intellectual property provenance, audit and compliance reporting, model optimization, and AI business intelligence. The startup additionally offers a name, image, and likeness (NIL) attribution suite, which tracks how artist voices, likenesses, and performance identities—including voice clones, AI-generated avatars, and style replication—are used during AI training and generation. WMG stated that Sureel will continue operating as a standalone platform serving the broader music and AI ecosystem.

“Rightsholders deserve to know how AI interacts with their work, and to share fairly in the value it creates,” Sureel founder and chief executive Tamay Aykut said in remarks. “Sureel was built to make that possible, and with WMG’s backing, we can deliver on our mission at scale, building a more transparent and fair future and driving value growth for the whole music and entertainment ecosystem.”

WMG has shifted its stance on AI after initially opposing it. The company originally sued music generation startup Suno in 2024 and later signed a licensing deal with the company last year. At that time, WMG said artists and songwriters would retain full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in new AI-generated music. It is worth noting that Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group are still pursuing major copyright infringement claims against the AI music startup. WMG last year also settled its lawsuit against AI music startup Udio and reached a licensing deal with the company.