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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a share of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained massive traction on social media in October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an uncredited female singer.

Although its momentum and impending chart position in the UK and US, the track was later banned by major music services after music organizations issued takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial version was made with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Larger Issue in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both versions of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Implying that her supporters were potentially misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "We must not permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Admit Using AI Tools

The team behind the track have openly confirmed using AI in its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were in fact his own but were extensively altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes called the "advanced tool for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain 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 transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement version did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label argued it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

"Computer-created material should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the statement added.

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her own social media profile.

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It also noted that the label would share any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in proving that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to allocate each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to help craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the industry's three largest 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 voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

However, it remains unclear how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without obtaining a license.