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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok last October, partly due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its success and potential chart entry in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after music bodies sent takedown requests, alleging it violated intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This is not only about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

Famous for songs like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was named British Female Solo Artist at the prestigious Brit Awards in 2019.

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Using AI Technology

The team behind the song have publicly admitted using AI during its production process.

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

Meanwhile, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female quality".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

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

"As a creator and producer, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Implications

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

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

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

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

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned artists including 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 intellectual property regulations.

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