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

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Although its success and impending top 40 position in the UK and US, the song was later removed by leading music services after industry bodies sent takedown requests, stating it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial version was generated with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Broader Principle in Play

"This is not only about one artist. This is bigger than one artist or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM also stated its view that "both iterations of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work 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 annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's first release, the label added: "Our industry must not permit this to be the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the song have openly confirmed using AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using music-generation software Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the music themselves and have even provided files of their original production sessions.

"This is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Implications

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major 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 changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

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

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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 assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• 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 "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, though those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

However, it is unclear how many well-known artists will consent to such uses of their identity.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They contend these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using copyrighted work without securing a license.