The rise of AI copyright is reshaping the very foundation of the internet. Every second, millions of photos, videos, and articles appear online, and more and more are not the work of human creators but of algorithms. Generative AI can now write convincing essays, create hyper-realistic images, and produce deepfake videos that blur the line between fiction and reality.
In this new digital landscape, however, one question dominates : how do we define copyright in the age of AI? And perhaps even more importantly: how can audiences know what is authentic and what is not?
The AI copyright boom and the content challenge
Generative AI has changed the rules of creation. As a result, anyone can now produce content at scale. A single prompt can generate a painting, a viral TikTok video, or a 2,000-word article. Deepfake technology allows anyone to make a politician appear to say something they never did.
The consequence is a crisis of trust. Audiences struggle to distinguish authentic work from synthetic creations. Traditional copyright law, built for human authorship, is under pressure as it collides with the reality of algorithmically generated content.
See our article on Deepfake authenticity : the new truth crisis of 2025
How big tech is labeling AI-generated content
Platforms are reacting quickly. Meta has introduced automatic labels for AI-generated content across Facebook and Instagram. TikTok and Google are experimenting with similar tags, while the EU AI Act will soon require clear disclosure of synthetic media.
But there is a flaw: most of these efforts rely on self-declaration. Creators can mislead, and content spreads faster than platforms can verify. Transparency exists, but it’s fragile.
Digital passports: towards AI copyright provenance
One promising approach is content provenance at scale. The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity), backed by Adobe, Microsoft, the BBC, and The New York Times,aims to standardize how media carries its own history.
Adobe’s system already allows creators to embed metadata in images, showing whether AI tools were used. In the future, every piece of media could carry a digital passport proving its origin and authorship.
Blockchain and NFTs: decentralized AI copyright infrastructure
Beyond corporate initiatives, blockchain technology offers a decentralized solution. By minting texts, videos, or images as NFTs, creators can timestamp ownership on an immutable ledger.
This shift could create a decentralized AI copyright infrastructure, and no authority would be able to erase or alter authorship. Such a shift could transform creative industries as profoundly as the invention of the printing press.
Early pioneers of decentralized copyright protection
The idea of a censorship-resistant copyright system is not science fiction—it is already being tested.
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Fox Corp – Verify: a blockchain platform that cryptographically signs news content via Polygon PoS and negotiates licensing with AI firms. Fox has already deployed it in beta during Fox News broadcasts.
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Start-ups like Pip Labs, Vermillio, and Human Native: building licensing marketplaces that allow creators to control how their works are used in AI training. These companies have already raised significant funding, showing growing demand for AI copyright infrastructure.
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Sahara AI (testnet): a decentralized AI network that raised over $40M (backed by Pantera Capital, Binance Labs, and Samsung NEXT), blending blockchain with data provenance and user governance.
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Academic prototypes like EKILA and DECORAIT: combining NFTs and the C2PA standard to let creators register, trace, and manage their digital works, while allowing opt-in/opt-out of AI training datasets.
These pioneers demonstrate that AI copyright protection is not hypothetical, it is already being built in alpha and beta form, both by corporations and academia.
A two-speed internet: certified vs disposable content
If provenance systems scale, the internet could split in two:
- Certified content: professional media, brands, and verified creators. Authenticated, labeled, and copyright-enforced.
- Disposable content: memes, TikToks, and casual posts. Fun and viral, but without guarantees of origin.
Consequently, this duality could redefine how users navigate the web: between trusted content and entertainment without provenance.
Who owns AI copyright in generated works?
Legal systems are still catching up. In the United States, the Copyright Office has ruled that purely AI-generated works cannot be copyrighted, only human contributions count. Europe is exploring a hybrid legal model for AI-assisted works.
The unanswered question remains: if an article is 70% AI and 30% human, who owns the rights? The editor, the AI developer, or the platform? The most likely future is a hybrid copyright framework: strong human ownership reinforced by restricted AI usage rights.
Invisible AI watermarks and authenticity detection
To enforce these frameworks, detection technology is critical. OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic are developing invisible watermarks embedded in AI content.
These signals, invisible to humans but detectable by software, could help trace AI works. But watermarks can be stripped or bypassed, leading to a potential arms race: generative AI creating undetectable fakes, while forensic AI hunts for them.
Towards a universal AI copyright trust label
The likely outcome is a global trust label for digital content. Just as food carries “organic” or “fair trade” certifications, online content may soon carry badges such as:
- ✅ Authentically human
- ⚙️ Human + AI collaboration
- 🤖 Fully AI-generated
Such a framework would restore clarity for users and credibility for creators, while platforms comply with legal obligations.
The future of internet: scenarios for AI copyright
The next decade will determine the internet’s credibility. Several scenarios emerge:
- The verified internet : Every text, image, or video carries a digital passport. Platforms promote only verifiable content. This creates a “clean internet” trusted by institutions and brands.
- The shadow internet : A parallel web thrives on unlabeled deepfakes and memes. Fast and viral, but unreliable. The duality becomes cultural.
- The AI arms race : Generative models vs detection models. The web becomes a battlefield of authenticity algorithms.
- The rise of authenticity as currency : In all futures, authenticity becomes scarce,and valuable. Creators who can prove originality rise above the flood of synthetic media.
Conclusion: the next evolution of AI copyright
The debate around AI copyright is not just legal, it is existential for the future of internet.
In the future, tomorrow’s web may split into two realities : a verified internet, where authenticity guarantees trust, and a wild internet, where creativity thrives without rules. Both will coexist, but the balance will decide whether the web strengthens or collapses in credibility.
One thing is certain: copyright will not survive unchanged. It will evolve into a system where provenance, transparency, and digital labels replace old notions of ownership.
The future of internet will not be about human vs machine-made. It will be about what can be trusted and what cannot.
FAQ : AI copyright and content authenticity
1. Can AI-generated works be copyrighted?
Today, most countries deny copyright to purely AI works. Human input is required.
2. How can I detect if an image or video was made by AI?
Tools like Adobe Content Credentials, C2PA standards, and invisible watermarks are being developed to prove origin.
3. Can blockchain protect digital content?
Yes. Minting works as NFTs allows creators to prove authorship and ownership immutably.
4. Will all online content need labels in the future?
Most likely. Expect classifications: human-made, AI-assisted, or fully AI-generated.
5. What does this mean for creators and journalists?
Authenticity will become the differentiator. Human creators who prove originality will gain credibility and value.
The internet is heading towards a future where every piece of content may carry a label, a passport, or a blockchain record. But will that create more trust, or just another layer of control?
👉 Do you believe a verified internet is the solution, or will it sacrifice the freedom that once made the web unique?
