Soul Vocalist Jorja Smith's Music Company Takes a Firm Position Against Popular 'AI Copy' Track

The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, gained widespread traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished R&B singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Despite its momentum and impending chart entry in both UK and US, the track was later removed by leading music services after industry bodies sent takedown notices, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle at Stake

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

FAMM further stated its belief that "both versions of the song violate the artist's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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 potentially misled by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to be the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The duo behind the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated 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, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their source computer files.

"It is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and producer, I like using new tools, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from official rankings, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

"AI-generated material should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

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

The post warned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

Yet, it remains uncertain how many well-known artists will agree to such applications of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They argue these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using protected work without obtaining a license.