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The record label 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 artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its polished soul singing by an uncredited female vocalist.

Although its momentum and impending chart position in both UK and US, the song was later removed by leading music services after industry bodies issued takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

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

A Broader Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. This is bigger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "each iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's first track, the label added: "We must not permit this to be the standard practice."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

The team behind the song have openly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were actually his own but were heavily altered using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "advanced tool for music".

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

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

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

"Being a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Implications

Although their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new version managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's changing interaction with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be transparently identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It further noted that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the writers behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in establishing that AI helped to compose the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the world's major largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, 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.

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop systems using protected work without obtaining a permission.