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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a share of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its polished R&B singing by an unnamed female singer.

Although its success and impending chart position in the UK and US, the song was later removed by leading streaming platforms after music organizations sent copyright notices, alleging it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was made with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation is not only about Jorja. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "each iterations of the track violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

Known for songs like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was named British Female Solo Artist at the prestigious Brit Awards in 2019.

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We must not permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

The duo responsible for the track have openly admitted using AI in its production process.

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

In addition, the second producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their source computer files.

"It is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement version managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's changing relationship with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"AI-generated material should be clearly labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The text warned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by governments and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before revealing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's three largest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

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 released a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop systems using protected work without obtaining a permission.