Elvis Presley Estate Sues Anthropic for Stealing His Music ‘At a Scale Never Seen Before’ To Train AI
The estate of Elvis Presley has sued Anthropic, saying the company trained its AI using the late rock star’s music without permission.
By Caleb Catlin
Artificial intelligence needs a huge amount of data to work well. Because of this, companies like Anthropic use large amounts of material to train their AI systems. But these companies have repeatedly faced legal trouble with artists and the people who manage their estates. These artists and estates object to companies using their creative work and likenesses to make their own versions. Now, the Elvis Presley estate says Anthropic used more music than ever seen before to improve its technology.
According to a Billboard report, Authentic Brands Group and the Presley family have sued the technology company. They accuse it of using Elvis’s music without permission. They say the company used 274 songs protected by copyright, including the hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Richard Busch, the lead lawyer for the case, also said Anthropic had built its entire business “based on copyright infringement at a scale never seen before.” Speaking for the Elvis Presley estate, he said, “The Elvis Plaintiffs are deeply protective of these iconic songs.”
Many music labels have taken AI companies to court over the use of their artists’ work. Often, the disputes end in settlements, and the companies later form partnerships instead of continuing to use music without permission. But according to Billboard, bringing a lawsuit on behalf of Elvis as an individual artist could set an important example for the rest of the music industry.
The Elvis Presley Estate Takes Anthropic to Court Over Claims of Widespread Copyright Infringement to Train AI
Anthropic is not the only company facing criticism over claims that it used artists’ work without permission. Earlier this year, Suno also faced trouble involving Mary J. Blige after it released an advertisement featuring her without her permission.
In September 2026, the R&B star faced strong criticism after appearing in an advertisement promoting Suno while she was in a recording studio. However, it turned out that she had apparently never approved the ad. The AI company reportedly spoke with someone who “presented themselves as Ms. Blige’s official representative.”
As soon as Suno learned that Blige wanted nothing to do with the company, it removed the advertisement. Blige has not spoken about the incident since, and it is still unclear who spoke with the Suno team.
In the advertisement itself, however, she seemed to call the technology “dope,” even though she did not seem to fully understand how it worked. Blige also seemed open to experimenting with AI more in the future.
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