The ever-evolving technological advancements have given rise to the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI allows machines to perform tasks that were once reserved exclusively for human creativity, challenging conventional paradigms of creativity and authorship. The concept of artificial intelligence can be traced back to Alan Turing in 1950, with the term “artificial intelligence” coined by John McCarthy during a conference in Dartmouth in 1956. It is becoming increasingly clear that AI generative tools can replicate
human creativity and generate original works which has posed legal challenges, particularly in the realm
of copyright ownership. Copyright laws across the globe mandate that human authorship is a crucial aspect of obtaining copyright protection. At first, copyright ownership for AI-generated works was not a
contentious issue, as the computer program was seen as a mere tool for human creativity. However, the
increasing autonomy of modern AI, enabling independent creative decision-making, challenges the traditional notions of copyright ownership. This raises a pertinent legal question: can non-human entities,
particularly AI generative tools, assert legitimate copyright ownership over the works they produce?
Opponents argue that AI entities, being non-human, are incapable of being legitimate owners of copyright.
Contrarily, proponents of AI copyright ownership assert that advanced algorithms and systems, despite
being inanimate, should be recognized as legitimate creators. This dilemma calls for a resolution to
ascertain the legitimacy of AI copyright ownership, setting the stage for a proposed general legal
framework to regulate the field of Artificial Intelligence.