Pop Singer Jorja Smith's Music Label Takes Firm Position Regarding Viral 'Artificial Intelligence Clone' Track

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

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

Despite its momentum and impending chart position in both UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading music services after industry organizations sent copyright notices, alleging it breached intellectual property law by impersonating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the initial version was generated with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now pursuing appropriate redress.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"The situation isn't just about one artist. It's larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM further stated its view that "each iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she works."

Famous for songs 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 possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Using AI Technology

The duo responsible for the song have publicly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were in fact his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and created the music themselves and have even provided files of their original production sessions.

"This is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

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

"Computer-created material should be transparently identified as such so that the audience may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal social media page.

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It also noted that the label would share any potential songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before revealing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, but those cases have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will allow users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the program.

Yet, it remains uncertain how many established artists will agree to such applications of their identity.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to copyright law.

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