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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a share of earnings from a song it claims was created using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on TikTok last October, partly due to its polished soul vocals by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and impending chart position in both UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after industry organizations sent copyright requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "each versions of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Employing AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly admitted using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, often called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the music themselves and have even provided evidence of their original production sessions.

"This is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement version did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may choose whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post cautioned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding 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 streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major largest record labels, though those cases have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the program.

Yet, it is uncertain how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to potential revisions to copyright law.

They contend these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without securing a license.