Sony Music joins AI policy coalition ARIAM, 5 days after suing Suno a second time

Sony Music Group just became the first music company in ARIAM, an AI policy coalition whose members include Disney, the BBC and The New York Times.

ARIAM announced it on September 23, 2026. That’s 5 days after Sony and Universal sued Suno a second time, over 60,202 recordings.

So Sony is now working the AI question in 2 places at once: in court against AI music companies, and in a policy group with film, TV and news companies.

What is ARIAM, the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media?

ARIAM is short for the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media. It launched on June 15, 2026, it’s based in Los Angeles, and it’s run by Victoria Furniss, who spent nearly 9 years in legal and public policy roles at Netflix, according to Deadline.

Basically, it’s a lobby group for AI rules. On its own site, ARIAM says it pushes for “responsibility-by-design legal and policy frameworks” so members can “confidently embrace AI innovation, protect existing copyright, and safeguard audiences.”

Furniss put it more simply at launch: “ARIAM’s goal is not to slow AI down but to ensure it is able to sustain the broader ecosystems long term.”

Until this week, nobody from music was in it. The members came from film, TV, news, publishing, education and tech.

Why Sony Music Group joined ARIAM

Kevin Kelleher, COO of Sony Music Entertainment, gave the reason in the announcement reported by Music Business Worldwide. He said generative AI brings “significant opportunities and challenges for artists and songwriters,” and Sony wants to help shape where it fits.

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We wholeheartedly share ARIAM's view that a healthy licensing environment, where responsible AI companies proactively partner with rightsholders, is the only foundation for getting this right.

Furniss said “music is an integral part of that conversation,” because the issues around AI affect every part of the creative community.

ARIAM says it’s planning council meetings, leader roundtables and an annual summit for members during 2026. It hasn’t named the specific laws or consultations it will push on first.

Sony Music’s AI lawsuits against Suno and Udio in 2026

The timing stands out because of what Sony is doing in court. Sony Music Entertainment is the only major label that hasn’t signed a licensing deal with Suno or Udio, per Music Business Worldwide.

• July 20, 2026: Sony filed a second Udio lawsuit in New York, over 30,117 recordings.
• August 28, 2026: Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell sued Anthropic over their songs.
• September 18, 2026: Sony and Universal filed the second Suno case in Boston, over 60,202 recordings.
• September 23, 2026: Sony joined ARIAM.

Warner Music went the other way. It settled with Suno and signed a licence in November 2025, and it’s one of the partners behind Suno v6.

Sony’s lawsuits argue the same point Kelleher made about ARIAM: AI companies should license the recordings before they train on them.