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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 entry in both UK and US, the track was later banned by leading streaming platforms after music organizations issued copyright notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original recording was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking financial compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

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

FAMM also stated its belief that "each versions of the song violate the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

Known for songs 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 original release, the label added: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The team responsible for the track have openly admitted using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their original computer files.

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

"Being a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, methods and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new version managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical test case for the music industry's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

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

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

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

It further stated that the label would share any potential royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue.

"If we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

However, it remains unclear how many well-known artists will consent to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to potential changes to copyright law.

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