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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a song it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major music services after industry organizations issued takedown notices, alleging it violated intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original recording was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue at Stake

"The situation is not only about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both versions of the song infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We cannot allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have publicly confirmed using AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the other producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female quality".

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

"It shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and producer, I like experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from official rankings, the new recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical test case for the music industry's changing relationship with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own social media profile.

The post warned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It further noted that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the writers behind Smith's music.

"If we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before revealing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into 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 remains uncertain how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in protest to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using protected work without securing a permission.