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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of royalties from a song it claims was created using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread traction on social media in October, partly due to its polished soul singing by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its momentum and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the track was later removed by leading music services after industry bodies issued takedown requests, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

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

A Broader Issue at Stake

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "both iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's 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 British Female Solo Artist at the annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "We cannot permit this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly admitted using AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a feminine quality".

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

"This is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

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

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Impact

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement recording did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

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

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal Instagram profile.

The text warned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are successful 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 allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who agree to the service.

However, it is uncertain how many established artists will agree to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a group of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of quiet studios in opposition to potential revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train models using protected work without obtaining a license.