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

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Although its success and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after industry bodies sent copyright requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Larger Principle in Play

"This is not only about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

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

Known for hits 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 potentially misled by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the song have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively altered using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

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

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

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

"As a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from official rankings, the new version did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with AI.

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

"AI-generated material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own Instagram profile.

The post warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

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

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not always averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using protected work without obtaining a license.