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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a share of royalties from a song it asserts was created using an AI "clone" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, in part due to its polished soul vocals by an unnamed female vocalist.

Despite its momentum and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the song was later banned by major streaming platforms after music organizations issued takedown notices, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original version was made with AI programmed on her body of work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

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

FAMM further expressed its belief that "each versions of the track violate Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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 supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The duo behind the track have publicly confirmed using AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music platform Suno, often called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed 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 evidence of their source computer files.

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

"As a creator and maker, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Impact

Although their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal social media profile.

The post cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the world's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in protest to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

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