A federal judge in the United States has recently ruled that works generated by artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be copyrighted. The ruling emphasized that copyright law does not extend to protect works created by technology without any Human involvement. According to U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, human authorship is a fundamental requirement for copyrightability, and AI lacks this human element.

This decision is particularly relevant to individuals working in creative fields. With the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA strike ongoing and the concept of using AI to generate scripts gaining traction, the ruling provides some relief by reinforcing the significance of human creativity in copyright law.

The ruling reflects the long-standing belief that human involvement is the core of copyrightability, even as human creativity finds new outlets through emerging technologies. This perspective extends back to a similar ruling made nearly a decade ago when a U.S. district court concluded that a selfie taken by a monkey could not be copyrighted since it was not captured by a human.

Judge Howell further clarified that while an AI system may technically generate an image, it does so based on an initial concept conceived by a human. In contrast to the role of a camera, where human decisions on scene, lighting, and camera parameters shape the final image, AI-generated works do not involve the same level of human input.

The ruling emerged from a lawsuit pursued by computer scientist Stephen Thaler, who sought copyright protection for an image created by his AI software. The U.S. Copyright Office rejected his application, emphasizing the necessity of a connection between the human mind and creative expression for copyright eligibility. Thaler filed the lawsuit challenging this decision.

Despite this ruling limiting the copyrightability of AI-generated works, the Copyright Office has recognized that “AI-assisted” art can still be copyrighted if a human has made creative choices in selecting or arranging the artwork.

In conclusion, this ruling establishes that copyright law does not extend protection to works created solely by AI. It maintains the importance of human involvement and creativity as fundamental elements in the copyrightability of artistic works.

Sources:
– Original article: [link]
– Definition of copyright: [link]
– Definition of AI: [link]
– Definition of copyrightability: [link]

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