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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a share of earnings from a track it asserts was produced using an AI "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive popularity on social media in October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an uncredited woman singer.

Despite its success and impending top 40 position in both UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by major music services after music organizations issued copyright notices, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking financial redress.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation is not only about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM further stated its view that "each versions of the song infringe on Jorja's 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.

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

Creators 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 voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using music-generation software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

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

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

"As a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the replacement version managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with AI.

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

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

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal social media page.

The post warned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both fascination and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

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

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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