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The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a share of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, gained massive traction on social media in October, in part due to its polished R&B singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its success and impending chart position in both UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after industry organizations issued copyright requests, alleging it breached intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial version was generated with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about one artist. This is bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work 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 annual Brit Awards in 2019.

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

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using AI music software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original computer files.

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

"Being a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the replacement recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical test case for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

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

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the music industry.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those legal actions have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

Yet, it remains unclear how many established musicians will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, 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 recordings of quiet studios in opposition to potential revisions to copyright law.

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