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The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a share of earnings from a track it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive popularity on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Although its success and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by major streaming platforms after industry organizations issued takedown notices, alleging it violated intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent announcement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "We must not permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Employing AI Tools

The duo behind the song have openly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact 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, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and created the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their source production sessions.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a creator and producer, I enjoy using new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

"To set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Unintended Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal social media page.

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

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

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

The emergence 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 millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's three biggest record labels, but those cases have since been resolved.

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

However, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known artists will consent to such applications of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of quiet studios in opposition to potential revisions to copyright law.

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