Artificial Intelligence and copyright: a happy (or even possible) relationship?
After years spent discussing the IP implications of 3D printing [which the the European Parliament - JURI Committee has also tackled in this recent working paper ] it seems that now the new 'hot' topic is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential. Aside from issues of citizenship , in the realm of IP one of the questions that have been asked with increasing frequency is whether and to what extent AI has the potential to replace humans, including in the creative fields. As AI machines become increasingly autonomous, can they be regarded as 'authors' in a copyright sense and, if so, can the works they create be eligible for copyright protection? If the answer was again in the affirmative, who would own the copyright in such works? Recent developments stand as a demonstration that answering these questions may not be something for an indefinite future. For instance, readers with an interest in music might have had the opportunity to listen to the re...