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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its success and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was later removed by major music services after industry bodies issued takedown notices, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now seeking financial compensation.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "both versions of the track violate Jorja's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "We must not allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Admit Using AI Technology

The team behind the song have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained 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 other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original production sessions.

"This is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the facts straight, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

While their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the replacement version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her own Instagram profile.

The text cautioned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

However, it is uncertain how a large number of established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists 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 protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

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