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The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a song it asserts was created using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished R&B vocals by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading music services after industry organizations sent takedown requests, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. This is bigger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM further stated its belief that "each iterations of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially misled by Haven's first release, the label added: "Our industry cannot permit this to be the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Technology

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

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

In addition, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female quality".

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

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and maker, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge 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

While their original version of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The post warned that artists and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by governments and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

However, it remains unclear how many established artists will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

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