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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of royalties from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on social media last October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after music organizations sent takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her extensive work and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM further stated its belief that "each iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

Famous 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 supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "Our industry must not permit this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even shared evidence of their source computer files.

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

"As a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

"To set the facts clear, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we want to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the replacement version did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the music industry's changing relationship with AI.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the statement added.

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

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

It further noted that the label would share any potential songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to help craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

However, it is unclear how many well-known musicians will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in protest to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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