🔗 Share this article

The music company representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a song it claims was created using an AI "replica" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, achieved widespread traction on social media in October, in part due to its polished R&B singing by an uncredited woman vocalist.

Although its momentum and potential chart position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after industry bodies sent copyright notices, stating it breached intellectual property law by imitating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has since been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original recording was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"This is not only about one artist. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "both versions of the track violate the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We cannot permit this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Tools

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

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily altered using AI music software Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their original computer files.

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact

Although their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the replacement recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding regulation".

"AI-generated content should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by governments and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's major biggest record labels, though those cases have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

However, it remains uncertain how many well-known artists will consent to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of quiet studios in protest to potential changes to copyright law.

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