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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a share of earnings from a track it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on social media last October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an uncredited female singer.

Although its momentum and impending chart position in the UK and US, the song was later removed by leading music services after music bodies sent takedown notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

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

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This is not only about one artist. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "each versions of the song violate the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "Our industry cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The team responsible for the song have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music platform Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, identified as 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 shared files of their source production sessions.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal editing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and producer, I like experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the record clear, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Impact

Although their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

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

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her own social media profile.

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

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

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 band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before revealing 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 audiences are not always opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

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

Just last week, a group of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

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