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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a share of royalties from a track it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok last October, partly due to its polished soul vocals by an uncredited female vocalist.

Although its success and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by major streaming platforms after industry bodies sent takedown requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original recording was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"The situation is not only about one artist. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "each versions of the track violate Jorja's rights and unfairly benefit from the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "Our industry must not allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

The team behind the track have openly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

"This is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and producer, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

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

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

"Computer-created content should be transparently identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the statement added.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, demonstrating 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 biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the program.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of established artists will consent to such applications of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed changes to copyright law.

They contend these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using protected work without obtaining a license.