Why AI cannot be considered a copyright author: Agency, responsibility, and expression matter
By
Caterina Moruzzi
If you only eat one bagel today, this is the bagel.
Summary
This article argues against granting copyright authorship to AI systems, pushing back against claims from Big Tech that machines should be recognized as authors. Caterina Moruzzi contends that true authorship requires agency, responsibility, and expression—qualities that current AI systems lack. The piece uses the case of Stephen Thaler's 2018 attempt to register an AI-generated image with the U.S. Copyright Office as a starting point to explore why creativity cannot be reduced to code.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledAuthorship is not about output alone, but about agency, responsibility, and expression—qualities today's AI systems do not possess.
As AI churns out increasingly convincing images, music, and prose, a chorus of voices from Big Tech and their academic followers claim machines should be recognized as authors.
Creativity isn't code.
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