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The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a share of earnings from a song it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on social media last October, in part due to its smooth soul singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its success and potential chart entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry organizations sent copyright notices, stating it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM also stated its view that "both versions of the song infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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 supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label added: "We cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo behind the song have publicly confirmed using AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts 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 files of their original production sessions.

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

"In order to set the record straight, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make great music for other humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new version managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with AI.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

"Computer-created material should be transparently identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

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

The text warned that artists and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

It further noted that the label would share any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, showing that listeners are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's three biggest record labels, but those cases have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

Yet, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known artists will consent to such applications of their work.

Just last week, a group of renowned 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 potential changes to copyright law.

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