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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a track it claims was created using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its smooth soul singing by an uncredited female singer.

Despite its momentum and impending chart position in both UK and US, the track was later removed by leading music services after music organizations sent takedown notices, alleging it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"This isn't just about one artist. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both versions of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We must not allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly admitted using AI in its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female quality".

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

"It is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy using new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

"In order to set the facts clear, the artists behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

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 regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal Instagram page.

The post warned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

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

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both fascination and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before revealing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

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

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

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