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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth R&B vocals by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its success and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was later banned by major music services after industry organizations sent copyright notices, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

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

FAMM further expressed its belief that "both iterations of the song infringe on the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "We must not allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The team responsible for the track have openly confirmed using AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even shared evidence of their source production sessions.

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

"As a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

"To set the facts straight, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal Instagram page.

The post cautioned that artists and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It also stated that the label would distribute any awarded royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to develop systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a permission.