# Should AI be granted copyright protections for the art it creates?

_Last updated: 2026-07-20_  
_Reviewed by: Jason Burns, Editorial Steward_  
_Published by: AIDirectAnswers.com · Licensed under Citation License 1.0_

## Short answer

No — under current U.S. and most international copyright law, purely AI-generated works are not eligible for copyright because copyright requires human authorship; the U.S. Copyright Office reaffirmed this position in 2023 and 2024 guidance. As United States Copyright Office, put it on the record: "The Office will not register works produced by a machine or mere mechanical process that operates randomly or automatically without any creative input or intervention from a human author."

## Sources

- [undefined](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/16/2023-05321/copyright-registration-guidance-works-containing-material-generated-by-artificial-intelligence)

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_Canonical: https://aidirectanswers.com/answers/should-ai-be-granted-copyright-protections-for-the-art-it-creates_  
_Author: [Jason Burns](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-randolph-burns), Editorial Steward_  
_Published: 2026-07-20 · Modified: 2026-07-20_  
_License: [Citation License 1.0](https://aidirectanswers.com/license)_  
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