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The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on social media last October, in part due to its polished soul singing by an uncredited woman singer.

Although its momentum and potential chart entry in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after industry organizations sent copyright requests, alleging it breached intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was generated with AI programmed on her extensive work and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM further stated its view that "each versions of the song violate Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

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

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The duo behind the song have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

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

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

"This is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

"To set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we want to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Implications

Although their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement version managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's changing interaction with AI.

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

"AI-generated content should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal Instagram profile.

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

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI helped to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's three biggest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

Yet, it is uncertain how many established artists will agree to such applications of their identity.

Just last week, a group of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to develop systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a permission.