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The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a share of royalties from a song it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread traction on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Although its momentum and impending chart position in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after industry bodies issued copyright notices, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

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

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This is not only about one artist. This is bigger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM further stated its belief that "each versions of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "Our industry must not permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have openly confirmed using AI during its production process.

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

Meanwhile, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female tone".

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

"It is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and maker, I like experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own social media page.

The text warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to compose the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration 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 is uncertain how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a group of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations.

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