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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a song it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's unique vocal style.

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

Although its success and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after music bodies issued takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking financial redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public statement.

FAMM further stated its belief that "each versions of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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 fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We must not allow this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were extensively altered using AI music software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

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

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

"As a creator and maker, I like using new tools, methods and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

"In order to set the record clear, the people behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Impact

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

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

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

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own Instagram profile.

The post cautioned that artists and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the music industry.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's three largest record labels, but those cases have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the service.

However, it remains unclear how many established artists will agree to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians 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 protest to proposed changes to copyright law.

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