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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style.

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

Although its momentum and impending chart entry in the UK and US, the song was later removed by major streaming platforms after music bodies sent copyright notices, alleging it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original recording was made with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now seeking financial redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

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

FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the track violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We must not allow this to be the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Technology

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

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female tone".

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

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

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

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, showing that audiences are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, but those cases have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to potential revisions to copyright law.

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