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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a song it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, gained massive traction on social media last October, in part due to its polished R&B vocals by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Although its momentum and potential chart entry in the UK and US, the song was later removed by major music services after industry bodies sent copyright requests, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial version was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"This is not only about one artist. It's bigger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM further stated its belief that "each iterations of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

Famous for hits 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 potentially misled by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "Our industry cannot allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Tools

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

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even shared 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 songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

While their original version of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the new version managed to enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical test case for the music industry's evolving relationship with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate 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 listen to it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It further noted that the label would distribute any awarded royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, but those cases have since been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

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

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

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