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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an uncredited female singer.

Despite its success and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading music services after industry organizations issued copyright requests, alleging it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

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

FAMM further stated its belief that "each iterations of the song violate the artist's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers 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 supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

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

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and produced the music themselves and have even provided evidence of their source computer files.

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

"As a creator and maker, I enjoy using innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

"In order to set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Impact

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

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

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

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her own Instagram profile.

The text warned that musicians and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the competition by governments and corporations towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would distribute any awarded songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

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

Recently, a group of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to develop systems using copyrighted work without securing a license.