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

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained widespread popularity on social media last October, in part due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its success and potential top 40 position in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major music services after music organizations issued takedown notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial version was generated with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Principle in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "each iterations of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Implying that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have openly admitted using AI during its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female tone".

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

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

"As a songwriter and maker, I like using new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

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

The label argued it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created material should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they listen to it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal Instagram page.

The post warned that artists and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI helped to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who agree to the service.

Yet, it is uncertain how a large number of well-known musicians will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a group of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using copyrighted work without obtaining a license.