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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a share of royalties from a song it claims was created using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth soul singing by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Despite its momentum and impending chart entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by major streaming platforms after industry bodies sent copyright notices, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking financial redress.

A Larger Issue in Play

"This is not only about one artist. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "each versions of the song infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

Known 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 possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "We cannot permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

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

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT 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 female tone".

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

"This shouldn't be secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and maker, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

While their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement recording did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant precedent for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"AI-generated material should be transparently labelled as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal social media profile.

The text warned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

It also stated that the label would share any awarded royalties with the writers behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's three largest record labels, though those legal actions have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

Yet, it remains unclear how many well-known musicians will agree to such applications of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of renowned 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 protest to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these changes would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using protected work without securing a permission.