🔗 Share this article Pop Vocalist the Artist's Record Company Takes Stand Regarding Popular 'AI Copy' Song The artist's voice were allegedly replicated in the creation of the hit song, 'I Run'. The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style. The song, titled 'I Run' by UK dance act Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, in part due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited woman singer. Despite its success and potential chart entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by major music services after industry bodies issued copyright notices, stating it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another musician. Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial version was made with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress. A Larger Principle in Play "The situation is not only about one artist. This is larger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public statement. FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the track violate Jorja's rights and unfairly 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. Implying that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's first track, the label added: "Our industry cannot permit this to become the standard practice." Creators Acknowledge Using AI Tools A producer confirmed the use of AI in a public update. The duo responsible for the song have publicly confirmed using AI in its creation. Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music software Suno, sometimes referred to as the "ChatGPT for music". Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a feminine tone". Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original production sessions. "This is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated. "Being a songwriter and producer, I like experimenting with 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 real and human, and all we want to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans." Regulatory Gray Areas and Broader Implications The singer has won two Brit Awards, among them the best female artist in 2019. While their first version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently. FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with AI. The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation". "Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the statement added. Artists as 'Collateral Victims' Smith endorsed her label's position on her own social media profile. The text warned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance". It further noted that the label would share any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music. "If we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed. The Continuing Growth of AI Music The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a topic of both interest and consternation for the entertainment world. In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound. Recently, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always opposed to hearing computer-generated music. Suno was last year taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three largest record labels, but those cases have now been settled. Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who agree to the program. However, it is uncertain how a large number of established musicians will agree to such applications of their identity. Recently, a collective of renowned artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of quiet studios in protest to proposed revisions to copyright law. They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without securing a license.