Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles composer speaks out about AI-generated Spotify album falsely using her name
Renowned video game composer Kumi Tanioka, known for her work on Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Final Fantasy XI, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, has discovered an AI-generated album falsely attributed to her on Spotify.
The album, titled “A Village Built on Wind,” appeared on the streaming platform under Tanioka’s name despite her having no involvement in its creation. Tanioka publicly expressed her confusion and concern via social media, questioning whether the album was created by someone sharing her name or if it was generated using artificial intelligence. She explicitly stated: “This album is definitely not something I made.”
This situation highlights a significant vulnerability in music streaming services. Despite being a verified artist on Spotify—a status intended to authenticate legitimate creators—Tanioka found herself unable to prevent unauthorized material from appearing under her profile. The false attribution raises concerns about both artist rights and listener confusion, as consumers may unwittingly stream content they believe is authentic work from a trusted composer.
The incident reflects broader concerns about AI-generated content being used to exploit established creators’ reputations. As generative AI tools become more accessible, cases of fraudulent attribution to legitimate artists have become increasingly common across music and entertainment platforms. This particular case demonstrates that even verified status doesn’t guarantee protection against unauthorized AI-generated work being misattributed to artists.
Tanioka’s situation underscores the need for stronger verification and removal processes on streaming platforms to protect artists from having their names and reputations used without permission.