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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was created using an AI "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

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

Although its momentum and potential chart position in the UK and US, the track was later banned by leading music services after music organizations sent takedown requests, stating it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial recording was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Principle in Play

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

FAMM further expressed its belief that "both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unfairly benefit from the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's original track, the label added: "We must not permit this to become the standard practice."

Producers Admit Using AI Technology

The team responsible for the track have publicly admitted using AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the song themselves and have even shared files of their source computer files.

"It is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

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

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Impact

While their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement version managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text warned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It also stated that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's three largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

However, it remains uncertain how a large number of established artists will consent to such applications of their work.

Recently, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in opposition to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

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