Event Review: Who Owns AI Art? A Panel Discussion on AI Creation & Copyright
Entering a prompt yields text or imagery in seconds. As technology lowers creative barriers, how much human involvement remains, and who owns the final work?
On August 22, SIXI Museum hosted Prof. Wenchao Lu (School of Arts) and Prof. Minchuan Xu (Law School) from Southeast University to explore how AI reshapes artistic creation and legal copyright frameworks.
Prof. Lu highlighted that AI is not a creative entity, but a generative tool. Human drive, aesthetic judgment, and curation remain irreplaceable. Drawing from 14 AIGC court rulings, Prof. Xu explained that copyright protection depends on human input—such as model choices, prompt design, and manual edits. Detailed records of human-AI interaction are thus essential evidence, though legal standards still struggle to keep pace with evolving art concepts.
During the Q&A, audience and panelists tackled core questions: Does prompting count as creation? Do one-click images hold copyright? How do we avoid AI plagiarism? The consensus was clear: creative intent alone does not guarantee legal protection; law evaluates tangible human contribution throughout the process.
As AI becomes a new interface for creation, human agency has not disappeared. How we choose, refine, bestow meaning, and take responsibility matters more than ever.
SIXI EDUCATION | WHO OWNS AI ART?: A PANEL DISCUSSION ON AI ART CREATION & COPYRIGHT
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