Suno AI
Suno AI, or simply Suno, is a generative artificial intelligence music creation program designed to generate realistic songs that combine vocals and instrumentation, or are purely instrumental. Suno has been widely available since December 20, 2023, after the launch of a web application and a partnership with Microsoft, which included Suno as a plugin in Microsoft Copilot.
The program operates by producing songs based on text prompts provided by users. Suno does not disclose the dataset used to train its artificial intelligence but claims it has been safeguarded against plagiarism and copyright concerns.
History
Suno was founded by four people: Michael Shulman, Georg Kucsko, Martin Camacho, and Keenan Freyberg. They all worked for Kensho, an AI startup, before starting their own company in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In April 2023, Suno released their open-source text-to-speech and audio model called "Bark" on GitHub and Hugging Face, under the MIT License. On March 21, 2024, Suno released its V3 version for all users. The new version allows users to create a limited number of 4-minute songs using a free account. Users can pay to subscribe monthly or annually to unlock more features.
On July 1, 2024, a mobile app for Suno was released.
On November 19, 2024, Suno upgraded its AI song model program to v4, which is a massive upgrade from the previous v3. It can create high-quality audio, write lyrics using its program for custom songs, as well as remaster songs that were previously created with its v3 program, currently only available to its subscription service.
On May 1, 2025, Suno upgraded its AI song model program to v4.5. New version generates more dynamic music, with greater variety and accuracy in genres and richer vocals. The experience is more intuitive, with creations that better match vision. Users can now use evocative descriptions while creating songs, and can also use the new prompt enhancement helper to help transform genre ideas into detailed instructions. v4.5 also added tools to mix and match features like Personas, Covers, and Extend.
On May 1, 2025, Suno announced its partnership with Drum and Bass and J-Pop Producer/DJ Freya Fox to create a mash-up genre of Japanese Pop, Drum and Bass, and HyperPop, to showcase the capabilities of Suno 4.5.
Legal issues
In June 2024, a lawsuit, led by the Recording Industry Association of America, was filed against Suno and Udio alleging widespread infringement of copyrighted sound recordings. The lawsuit sought to bar the companies from training on copyrighted music, as well as damages of up to $150,000 per work from infringements that have already taken place.
In March 2025, Timbaland showed support for SUNO during its legal battle with the RIAA.
Controversy
In January of 2025, CEO Michael Schulman drew criticism both from social media users and press for stating on the 20VC podcast, "I think the majority of people don't enjoy the majority of the time they spend making music."
Songs
In April 2024, a sentimental ballad was generated with Suno based on the text of the MIT License.
