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The music company representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a share of royalties from a song it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on TikTok in October, in part due to its smooth soul singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 position in the UK and US, the track was later banned by major music services after industry bodies issued copyright requests, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another artist.

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

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. This is larger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "both iterations of the song infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work 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.

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label added: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

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

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were actually his own but were extensively altered using music-generation software Suno, often called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

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

"It is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

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

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's major largest record labels, though those legal actions have now been resolved.

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

Yet, it is uncertain how many established artists will agree to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a group of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

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