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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a song it claims was produced using an AI "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread popularity on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished R&B singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its success and potential top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was later removed by major streaming platforms after music bodies sent copyright notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been re-released with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"The situation isn't just about one artist. This is larger than one artist or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "each versions of the track infringe on the artist's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We must not allow this to become the standard practice."

Producers Admit Using AI Tools

The duo behind the song have publicly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

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

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

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

"In order to set the facts straight, the artists behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we aim to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with AI.

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

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before revealing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who agree to the program.

However, it is uncertain how many established artists will consent to such applications 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 containing tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using protected work without securing a permission.