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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a song it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed female vocalist.

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

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial version was generated with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. It's larger than one artist or a single track," the label stated in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "each versions of the track infringe on the artist's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "Our industry must not permit this to be the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have publicly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

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

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

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

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

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The post warned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would distribute any potential songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue.

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics 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 pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

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

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They contend these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using protected work without securing a license.