Pop Singer the Artist's Record Company Takes Firm Position Against Popular 'Artificial Intelligence Clone' Track

The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a share of earnings from a song it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, achieved widespread popularity on TikTok in October, in part due to its smooth soul singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Although its success and potential chart position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after industry organizations issued takedown notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original recording was made with AI programmed on her extensive work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Broader Issue at Stake

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

FAMM further expressed its view that "both versions of the track violate the artist's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

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

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The duo responsible for the song have openly confirmed using AI during its production process.

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

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even provided files of their source production sessions.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and maker, I like using new tools, methods and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

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

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

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

Smith shared her label's position on her personal social media profile.

The text cautioned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

It further noted that the label would distribute any awarded songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's music.

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a source of both interest and consternation for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that listeners are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, but those legal actions have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

However, it is uncertain how a large number of well-known artists will agree to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in opposition to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

They argue these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to develop models using copyrighted work without securing a license.