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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a track it asserts was created using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, gained widespread popularity on social media in October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after music bodies issued takedown requests, stating it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

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

FAMM further stated its view that "each versions of the track violate the artist's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

Known for hits like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was crowned Best British Female at the annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Implying that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "Our industry cannot allow this to become the standard practice."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

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

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

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

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

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

"As a creator and producer, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

"To set the record clear, the people behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the music industry's evolving interaction with AI.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal social media 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 stated that the label would distribute any potential songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's music.

"If we are successful 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 every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, though those cases have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations.

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