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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a share of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread traction on TikTok last October, partly due to its polished R&B singing by an unnamed female vocalist.

Although its momentum and potential top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was later banned by major streaming platforms after music bodies sent copyright notices, stating it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial version was made with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation is not only about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both iterations of the track violate the artist's legal rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

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

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music platform Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

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

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

"It is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

"To set the facts straight, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we want to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the replacement version managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

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

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

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before revealing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, but those cases have now been resolved.

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

However, it is unclear how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

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

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