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The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an AI "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread traction on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an uncredited female singer.

Despite its success and impending top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was later banned by leading streaming platforms after music organizations issued takedown requests, alleging 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 is convinced the original version was generated with AI trained on her body of work and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Broader Issue in Play

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

FAMM further stated its belief that "both iterations of the track infringe on the artist's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

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

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

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

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were in fact his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female tone".

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

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

"As a songwriter and maker, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement version managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant precedent for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

"AI-generated material should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text warned that musicians and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's major largest record labels, but those cases have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

Yet, it remains uncertain how a large number of established musicians will consent to such applications of their work.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

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