TechFlow News, March 4: According to CNBC, the U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a dispute over whether AI-generated artwork is eligible for copyright protection. Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist from Missouri, had sought copyright registration for the visual artwork “A Recent Entrance to Paradise,” created by his AI system “DABUS.” The U.S. Copyright Office rejected the application in 2022, stating that copyright protection requires human authorship.
Lower courts upheld the Copyright Office’s decision in both 2023 and 2025, ruling that human creation is a “fundamental requirement” for copyright. Thaler’s attorneys argued that, given the rapid advancement of generative AI, this case holds “extraordinary significance.” However, the Supreme Court’s refusal to review the case will have irreversible negative consequences for AI’s development in the creative industries.
