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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished soul vocals by an uncredited woman singer.

Although its success and impending chart entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by major music services after music bodies sent takedown notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her body of work and is now seeking financial redress.

A Larger Issue in Play

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

FAMM also stated its belief that "each iterations of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly benefit from the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "Our industry cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Tools

The duo responsible for the song have publicly admitted using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

"This shouldn't be secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a creator and maker, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

"To set the record straight, the people behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we aim to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the replacement recording did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

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

The post warned that artists and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would share any awarded royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the program.

Yet, it is uncertain how many well-known artists will consent to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to train models using protected work without securing a permission.