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

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on social media in October, in part due to its polished R&B vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its success and impending chart position in both UK and US, the song was later removed by major streaming platforms after music organizations sent copyright notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

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

A Broader Issue in Play

"The situation is not only about one artist. It's larger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both versions of the song infringe on Jorja's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We must not allow this to be the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The team behind the track have openly admitted utilizing AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

"This shouldn't be secret that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Implications

While their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created material should be transparently labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own Instagram profile.

The post warned that artists and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the industry's major largest record labels, but those cases have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the service.

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

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these changes would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using protected work without obtaining a permission.