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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive traction on social media last October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an uncredited female singer.

Although its success and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent takedown requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was made with AI programmed on her extensive work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Issue in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than one artist or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "each iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's 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 annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Implying that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "We cannot allow this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The duo responsible for the song have openly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

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

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

"Being a creator and producer, I like using new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement version managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

"AI-generated material should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her own social media page.

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world'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 enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations.

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