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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a song it asserts was created using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer'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 polished R&B singing by an uncredited female singer.

Although its success and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by major streaming platforms after industry organizations issued takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original version was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking financial redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

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

FAMM further expressed its belief that "both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially misled by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The team behind the track have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine quality".

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

"This is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and producer, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the new version managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

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

"AI-generated content should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

Smith shared her label's statement on her own Instagram profile.

The text warned that artists and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody 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 detailed.

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a topic of both fascination and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

However, it is uncertain how many well-known musicians will agree to such uses of their identity.

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

They contend these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without obtaining a permission.