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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a portion of royalties from a song 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 TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential chart entry in both UK and US, the track was later removed by major music services after music organizations issued takedown requests, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue at Stake

"The situation is not only about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both iterations of the song violate the artist's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to be the standard practice."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

The duo behind the track have openly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial voice were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

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

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

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

"As a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact

While their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the new recording did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation 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 clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

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

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

"Should 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 aim to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of established musicians will consent to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent musicians such as 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 potential changes to copyright law.

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