🔗 Share this article

The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a track it claims was created using an AI "clone" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread popularity on social media in October, partly due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading streaming platforms after music bodies issued copyright requests, alleging it violated copyright by impersonating another artist.

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

A Broader Issue at Stake

"The situation is not only about Jorja. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a public statement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "each iterations of the track infringe on the artist's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output 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.

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We must not allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The team responsible for the song have openly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

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

"This shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a songwriter and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he added.

"In order to set the record straight, the people behind HAVEN are actual and people, and all we aim to do is make great music for other humans."

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact

Although their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

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

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

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share 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 algorithmically created music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the program.

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

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

They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train models using protected work without securing a license.