U.S. Copyright Office on Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on copyright and artificial intelligence (AI) to inform the public that it is undertaking a study of the policy issues raised by generative AI and is assessing whether legislative or regulatory steps are warranted. The Office will then advise Congress and all related parties as well as the public regarding its findings.

The NOI seeks factual information and views on a number of copyright issues raised by recent advances in generative AI. These issues include the use of copyrighted works to train AI models, the appropriate levels of transparency and disclosure with respect to the use of copyrighted works, the legal status of AI-generated outputs, and the appropriate treatment of AI-generated outputs that mimic personal attributes of human artists.

The NOI is part of the Office’s AI initiative that was launched in early 2023. So far, the Office has held public listening sessions and webinars. This NOI builds on the feedback and questions the Office has received and seeks public comments and input.

Initial written comments are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Reply comments are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Instructions for submitting comments are available on the Office’s website.