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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive popularity on social media in October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential chart position in both UK and US, the song was later banned by major streaming platforms after industry organizations sent copyright requests, alleging it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking financial redress.

A Larger Principle in Play

"This is not only about Jorja. This is bigger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

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

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

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

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

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

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

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

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her own Instagram page.

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the industry's three biggest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of established musicians will agree to such uses of their work.

Recently, a group of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train models using protected work without securing a permission.