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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 position in both UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by major music services after music organizations issued copyright requests, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial version was made with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now seeking financial compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation is not only about one artist. This is bigger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label added: "Our industry cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Tools

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

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music platform Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and created the song themselves and have even shared evidence of their original computer files.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Impact

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

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with AI.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her personal Instagram profile.

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

It further stated that the label would distribute any potential songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"If we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the service.

Yet, it remains unclear how many well-known musicians will consent to such applications of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to potential changes to copyright law.

They argue these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to train models using protected work without securing a permission.