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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a track it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its polished soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 position in both UK and US, the song was later removed by major music services after music organizations issued takedown requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original recording was made with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now seeking financial compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"The situation is not only about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "each iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "Our industry must not permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

The team responsible for the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI in its creation.

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

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and created the song themselves and have even shared evidence of their source production sessions.

"It shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and maker, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the new version managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant precedent for the music industry's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"AI-generated material 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 statement on her personal social media page.

The text cautioned that artists and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the race by governments and corporations 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 co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the world's major 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 voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

Yet, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known musicians will agree to such applications of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They contend these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using protected work without securing a permission.