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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "clone" of the performer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive traction on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its success and potential chart entry in both UK and US, the song was later removed by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent takedown requests, alleging it violated intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the initial recording was generated with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"The situation is not only about Jorja. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "each iterations of the track infringe on the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

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

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The duo responsible for the track have openly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female tone".

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

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was suspended from official rankings, the new version did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her personal social media page.

The text warned that artists and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

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

Just last week, a group of prominent artists 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 potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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