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

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its success and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by major music services after industry organizations issued copyright notices, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial version was made with AI trained on her extensive work and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both iterations of the track violate the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The duo behind the track have publicly admitted using AI in its production process.

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

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female tone".

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

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and producer, I like using new tools, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Impact

While their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

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

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

"Computer-created content should be transparently labelled as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal Instagram profile.

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

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

"Should we are able in establishing that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to assign 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 topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US country sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily opposed to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, though those cases have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to create 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 agree to such applications of their work.

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to potential changes to copyright law.

They contend these changes would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using copyrighted work without securing a permission.