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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a share of earnings from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on social media in October, partly due to its smooth soul singing by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 position in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent takedown notices, stating it violated intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her extensive work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"This isn't just about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both iterations of the track violate the artist's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her supporters were potentially misled by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "Our industry cannot permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have openly confirmed utilizing AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

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

"This shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and producer, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the replacement recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text warned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the industry's three biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the program.

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

Recently, a group of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of quiet studios in protest to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations.

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