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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a track it asserts was produced using an AI "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive traction on social media in October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited woman singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major music services after industry organizations sent takedown notices, stating it violated intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial recording was made with AI programmed on her body of work and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "each iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly deceived by Haven's original track, the label added: "Our industry cannot allow this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The team behind the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its production process.

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

In addition, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original production sessions.

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

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

"In order to set the facts clear, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

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

The text warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

It also 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 words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

Yet, it remains unclear how many established artists will agree to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using copyrighted work without securing a license.