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

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on social media last October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was later removed by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent copyright notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial recording was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM further stated its view that "both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unjustly benefit from 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.

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

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The team responsible for the song have openly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even provided files of their source computer files.

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

"Being a creator and producer, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the record clear, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Impact

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created material should be clearly labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own Instagram page.

The post warned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It also noted that the label would distribute any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion 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 Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

Yet, it is unclear how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

They contend these changes would make it easier for AI companies to develop systems using protected work without obtaining a license.