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

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished R&B vocals by an unnamed female vocalist.

Although its success and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by leading music services after music bodies issued takedown requests, alleging it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking financial redress.

A Broader Issue at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a public statement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "each iterations of the song violate Jorja's rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We must not permit this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have publicly confirmed using AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT 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 quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and created the music themselves and have even provided evidence of their source production sessions.

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

"As a creator and producer, I like using new tools, methods and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the new version managed to enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post warned that artists and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

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

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a topic of both fascination and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

Yet, it remains uncertain how many established musicians will agree to such uses of their work.

Recently, a group of renowned musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in protest to proposed changes to copyright law.

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