Music rights technology firm Orfium has secured €7.5 million in funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program to lead AIXPERT, a three-year research project focused on detecting copyrighted material in AI-generated music.
Selected from 135 applicants, Orfium is one of only three grantees under the Explainable and Robust AI initiative. AIXPERT, which began on June 1, aims to create systems that detect how AI music borrows from existing human-made works. The goal is to ensure proper recognition and compensation for songwriters and rightsholders.
Orfium will lead a consortium that includes Sorbonne University, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, University of Barcelona, and others, while remaining the only partner focused on music applications. CEO Rob Wells said the initiative aligns with Orfium’s mission to apply AI for the benefit of creators and rights holders.
Senior Director Pantelis Vikatos noted the project’s potential to establish AI-era copyright frameworks and emphasized the urgency of supporting original creators. AIXPERT Coordinator Haris Papageorgiou added that trust and transparency in AI systems are central to the project’s design.
Orfium’s platform currently tracks and monetizes music use across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Disney+, and has partnerships across Asia and Africa, including with Warner Music Japan, JASRAC, and PRS for Music.
