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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "clone" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread traction on social media in October, partly due to its polished R&B singing by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 position in both UK and US, the track was later removed by leading streaming platforms after industry organizations sent takedown notices, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was generated with AI trained on her body of work and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Principle at Stake

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

FAMM further stated its belief that "each versions of the track violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We must not permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The team responsible for the track have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and created the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their source computer files.

"It is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I like using new tools, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the facts straight, the artists behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from official rankings, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The post warned that artists and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"Should we are able in establishing that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a share 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 anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, though those legal actions have since been settled.

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 artists who opt in to the program.

Yet, it remains unclear how a large number of established artists will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of empty studios in protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a license.