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

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok in October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Although its momentum and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after music bodies sent takedown notices, alleging it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

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

A Larger Principle in Play

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

FAMM also expressed its view that "both versions of the song infringe on the artist's rights and unfairly benefit from the creative output 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.

Suggesting that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We must not allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

The team behind the song have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

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

"This is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

"Computer-created content should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post cautioned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before revealing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the world's major largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

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 artists who agree to the service.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known musicians will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a group of renowned artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in opposition to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

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