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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a share of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished soul vocals by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Although its momentum and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after industry organizations sent copyright notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial version was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about one artist. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM further stated its view that "both iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

Famous for hits like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was crowned Best British Female at the annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Suggesting that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "Our industry must not allow this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the song have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original computer files.

"It shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we want to do is make great music for other humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact

While their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant precedent for the music industry's evolving relationship with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal social media profile.

The post warned that musicians and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It further noted that the label would share any awarded songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue.

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a topic of both fascination and consternation for the music industry.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the world's major largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

However, it is unclear how many well-known artists will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in opposition to potential changes to copyright law.

They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using copyrighted work without securing a license.