HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS, is shutting down Supertone, the AI voice-synthesis firm it took majority control of in 2023, after ploughing in nearly $35 million (around KRW 49 billion) since 2021. Shareholders voted to dissolve the company and place it into liquidation at an extraordinary meeting on 15 July, with the decision confirmed in a regulatory filing on 23 July. HYBE described the move as part of a "realignment of its AI business strategy," saying it had considered keeping the entity running but concluded this would be difficult, even though it presented Supertone as a growth business in a sustainability report filed just over two weeks earlier.

Supertone posted revenue of just $1.6 million last year against an operating loss of $10.5 million, with internal transaction revenue from HYBE itself falling sharply since 2023. Its technology powered several HYBE AI ventures, including singer MIDNATT and virtual group SYNDI8, neither of which became an established commercial success, though its voice-conversion tools were also used by deaf K-pop group Big Ocean for a 2025 performance at the UN's AI for Good summit. HYBE is reportedly in talks to sell Supertone's Shift, Clear and Air tools to an outside buyer, while a liquidator has been appointed and Hoon Heo has replaced co-founder Lee Kyo-gu as CEO. The wind-down affects Supertone specifically, with HYBE saying it will continue pursuing AI more broadly across the group.