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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a share of earnings from a track it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on social media last October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited woman singer.

Although its momentum and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by major music services after music bodies issued takedown notices, alleging it breached intellectual property law by impersonating 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 programmed on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially misled by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "Our industry cannot permit this to become the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The team behind the song have openly admitted utilizing AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the music themselves and have even shared files of their source production sessions.

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

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

"In order to set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we aim to do is make great music for other humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

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

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal Instagram page.

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

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

"Should we are able in establishing that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established 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 unclear how a large number of established artists will agree to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in protest to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using protected work without securing a permission.