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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a share of royalties from a song it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained widespread traction on social media in October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an uncredited woman singer.

Despite its success and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after music bodies sent takedown requests, alleging it violated copyright by impersonating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue at Stake

"This isn't just about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "each versions of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "Our industry must not allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the song have openly admitted utilizing AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were actually his own but were extensively altered using music-generation platform Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a feminine tone".

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

"This is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and producer, I like using innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Impact

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

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical test case for the music industry's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The text warned that artists and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by governments and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated 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 genre sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's three biggest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

However, it is unclear how a large number of established artists will consent to such applications of their work.

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

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