The U.S. Copyright Office recently announced that it will officially launch a public consultation period on artificial intelligence and copyright issues on August 30. This move aims to deeply explore how to balance the relationship between technological innovation and copyright protection in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence. The Copyright Office is particularly concerned with three core issues: the legality of the use of copyrighted data during training of artificial intelligence models, whether the content generated by artificial intelligence is copyrightable, and the issue of the copyright liability of the artificial intelligence system. The consultation will last until October 18, providing people from all walks of life with the opportunity to express their opinions and suggestions.
In terms of artificial intelligence model training, the Copyright Office will focus on how to ensure that creators’ rights are not infringed while using copyright-protected data. With the advancement of deep learning technology, AI systems require a large amount of data to be trained, which often contains copyrighted works. How to find a balance between promoting AI development and protecting copyright has become a key issue that needs to be solved urgently. The Copyright Office hopes that through this consultation, we can collect opinions from technical experts, legal professionals and creators, and provide a basis for formulating relevant policies.
Regarding the copyright issue of artificial intelligence-generated materials, the Copyright Office will discuss whether AI-generated content is original and how to define the copyright ownership of AI-generated works. As AI becomes increasingly widely used in creative fields such as literature, music, and art, it is particularly important to determine the copyright status of these works. This not only affects the rights and interests of creators, but also affects the innovative development and application promotion of AI technology. The Copyright Office hopes to reach a consensus on the copyright recognition standards for AI-generated content through this consultation.
In terms of the relationship between copyright liability and artificial intelligence, the Copyright Office will focus on how to determine the responsible person when an AI system produces infringing content. As AI systems become more autonomous, it becomes more complicated to determine the responsible party for infringement. Should the AI developer, user, or should the AI system itself bear the responsibility? This issue not only involves the legal level, but also involves the ethical issues of AI technology. The Copyright Office hopes that through this consultation, it can form a preliminary framework for the determination of copyright liability in the AI system.
This public consultation period provides an important communication platform for relevant stakeholders. Technology companies, creators, legal experts and the general public can all express their opinions on AI and copyright issues. The Copyright Office said that the collected opinions will be used as an important reference for formulating relevant policies and guiding principles to address the copyright challenges brought about by the rapid development of AI technology. With the continuous advancement of AI technology, how to promote technological innovation while protecting creators' rights and interests will become a long-term focus of attention in the copyright field.