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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of royalties from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth soul singing by an unnamed female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry organizations sent copyright notices, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"The situation is not only about Jorja. This is larger than one artist or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both iterations of the track violate Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output 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 supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's original track, the label added: "Our industry must not permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

The duo behind the song have openly confirmed using AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music software Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their source production sessions.

"This is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement version did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with AI.

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

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her personal Instagram page.

The text warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to compose the words and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the program.

Yet, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known artists will consent to such applications of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a permission.