Warner Music Group has acquired Sureel, a company that says it can identify how creative works are used in artificial intelligence systems. The deal was announced Wednesday, and the companies did not disclose financial terms.

Sureel will continue operating as a standalone business after the acquisition. Warner Music said the purchase is aimed at giving the label and its artists and songwriters better tools to understand when their material is used to train AI models and when it appears in AI-generated tracks.

Sureel describes its technology as creating an “AI DNA” for each work it analyzes. According to the company, that process breaks a piece into smaller components and traces how AI models use those elements. The company argues that this offers a more detailed approach than simply checking whether a work appears in training data.

Warner Music chief executive Robert Kyncl said in a statement that adding Sureel would strengthen the company’s ability to protect and control the use of creative works, and help support monetization opportunities. He also said the deal is intended to help keep control of intellectual property, name, image, likeness and voice in the hands of the creative community.

The acquisition fits into a broader push by Warner Music to navigate the fast-changing AI landscape. The company has already taken a notably active role in the sector, including settling legal disputes and making deals with AI music generation platforms Suno and Udio last year. Warner Music remains the only major record label that has settled with Suno.

For the music industry, the ability to trace how copyrighted works are used in AI training has become more important as generative tools spread into more parts of entertainment. The issue extends beyond music, with similar questions emerging across film and television as creators and rights holders look for ways to monitor how their work is being used.

At the same time, the effectiveness of Sureel’s technology has not been independently verified in the reporting surrounding the acquisition. The Hollywood Reporter said it had not tested the system itself. Even so, the company is positioning its platform as a more advanced method for tracking AI use than basic detection tools.

Sureel founder and chief executive Dr. Tamay Aykut said the company was built to help rightsholders learn how AI interacts with their work and to ensure they can share in the value it creates. He said Warner Music’s backing would help Sureel scale that mission and promote a more transparent and fair future for the music and entertainment industries.

The acquisition adds another piece to Warner Music’s evolving AI strategy at a time when labels, artists and technology companies are still defining the rules around training data, attribution and compensation. With rights disputes still playing out across the industry, tools that can identify how creative works are used inside AI systems are likely to remain a priority for major rightsholders.