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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a share of royalties from a track it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok in October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading music services after music organizations sent takedown requests, stating it violated intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial version was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This isn't just about one artist. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both iterations of the track violate the artist's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

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

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

The duo responsible for the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female quality".

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

"This is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Impact

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

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

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her own Instagram profile.

The text cautioned that musicians 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 catalogue.

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the program.

Yet, it remains uncertain how many established artists will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

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