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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a share of royalties from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique vocal style.

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

Although its momentum and impending top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was later removed by major music services after music organizations sent copyright notices, stating it breached copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking financial redress.

A Larger Issue in Play

"The situation is not only about one artist. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the song infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

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

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively altered using music-generation platform Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female tone".

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

"This is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a songwriter and producer, I enjoy using innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving 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 outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

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

The post warned that musicians and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the race by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are able in establishing that AI assisted to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the service.

Yet, it is unclear how many established artists will agree to such applications of their work.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians including 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 changes to copyright law.

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