US Supreme Court rules AI-generated art can't be copyrighted
The US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal on March 2, 2026, leaving intact lower courts' rulings that if an artwork is made entirely by AI, it can't be copyrighted in the US.
This came after Stephen Thaler tried to claim copyright for a piece made by his AI, Creativity Machine, but was turned down because there was no human author involved.
Implications of the ruling
This leaves in place lower-court rulings and the Copyright Office's practice regarding generative AI—if a work is generated entirely by an artificial system absent human involvement, it is ineligible for copyright under those rulings.
As AI-generated art and content become more common, this decision will shape how creative rights work in the future.
If you're making stuff with AI, human involvement is key if you want legal protection.