HAVEN.’s “I Run” has been inescapable on TikTok and elsewhere in recent weeks, with early streaming success on Spotify pointing to what many had assumed would mark the song’s Hot 100 debut.
However, the viral track landed no such thing in the latest charts update, all while being hit with a series of takedown notices amid speculation among the public as to whether the song was compositionally reliant on the use of AI. As of this writing, the track does not appear to be available on Spotify.
Now, Billboard’s Kristin Robinson has released a lengthy piece chronicling the song’s journey, revealing that there’s a bit more nuance to the ongoing controversy than some might expect.
Notably, those behind the song, Harrison Walker and Jacob Donaghue, have shared a statement with the publication in which the use of “AI-assisted vocal processing” is conceded. The duo is also quoted as saying they did not reference Jorja Smith’s voice when transforming Walker’s vocals, though this too had been speculated amid the song’s rising popularity. Meanwhile, a reworked version of “I Run” led by vocalist Kaitlin Aragon is on the horizon.
“To set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN. are real and human, and all we want to do is make great music for other humans,” reads a statement attributed to HAVEN.
As for why the original version of “I Run” failed to chart, Billboard’s piece, available in full here, cites “dozens” of takedown notices as having resulted in the track being “withheld” from the Hot 100 and other charts. Offering an explanation for their rationale, the publication adds:
“Billboard reserves the right to withhold or remove titles from appearing on the charts that are known to be involved in active legal disputes related to copyright infringement that may extend to the deletion of such content on digital service providers.”
Concerns over AI, in general, have gripped not only the music industry in recent months, but all fields of art. A number of artists have spoken publicly about the damage they argue will be done should a full-fledged embrace of AI be allowed to take hold.
Frankenstein and The Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro, for example, made headlines in October for his condemnation of generative AI and “natural stupidity” at large.
"The other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, 'What is your stance on AI?' And my answer was very short. I said, 'I'd rather die,'" the celebrated filmmaker told NPR.