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The music company representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a portion of royalties from a track 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 popularity on social media last October, in part due to its polished soul vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 position in both UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent copyright notices, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial recording was generated with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

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

FAMM also stated its view that "both iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "Our industry must not permit this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The team behind the song have openly confirmed utilizing AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily altered using AI music platform Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female 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-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

"To set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a critical test case for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

"AI-generated content should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her own social media profile.

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

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

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to compose the words and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the service.

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

Just last week, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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