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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a share of royalties from a song it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok in October, partly due to its polished soul vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its success and potential top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was later removed by major music services after music bodies issued copyright notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the initial recording was made with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This isn't just about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "both versions of the track violate Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

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

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have publicly confirmed using AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and created the song themselves and have even provided files of their original production sessions.

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

"As a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and staying on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

"To set the facts straight, 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 version of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the new version did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be transparently labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her own social media profile.

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

It further noted that the label would distribute any potential songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, though those cases have since been resolved.

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

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

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in protest to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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