🔗 Share this article Soul Vocalist Jorja Smith's Music Company Takes a Stand Against Popular 'AI Clone' Song The artist's vocals were reportedly copied in the creation of the hit song, 'I Run'. The music company representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique vocal style. The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread traction on social media in October, partly due to its smooth R&B vocals by an unnamed female vocalist. Although its momentum and potential top 40 entry in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after industry bodies issued copyright requests, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another artist. Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original recording was made with AI programmed on her body of work and is now seeking appropriate redress. A Larger Issue at Stake "The situation isn't just about one artist. It's bigger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public statement. FAMM also stated its view that "each iterations of the song violate the artist's 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 Best British Female at the prestigious Brit Awards in 2019. Suggesting that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's first release, the label added: "Our industry cannot permit this to become the standard practice." Producers Admit Employing AI Tools A creator admitted the use of AI in a public update. The duo responsible for the song have publicly admitted using AI during its production process. Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial voice were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music". Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a feminine tone". Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and created the song themselves and have even provided files of their original production sessions. "It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said. "Being a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued. "In order to set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we want to do is make great music for fellow humans." Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact The singer has received multiple Brit Awards, among them the top female honor in 2019. While their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently. FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence. The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight". "AI-generated material should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they listen to it or not," the statement added. Creators Become 'Collateral Damage' Smith shared her label's statement on her own Instagram page. The post warned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy". It further stated that the label would share any potential royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue. "If we are able in proving that AI helped to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained. The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music The emergence 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 millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style. Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not always averse to consuming computer-generated music. Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the world's three largest record labels, though those cases have since been settled. Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who opt in to the service. Yet, it remains uncertain how a large number of well-known musicians will consent 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 silent songs or audio of quiet studios in protest to proposed changes to intellectual property regulations. They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using protected work without securing a license.