Do AI-generated artworks count as "works"? This highly publicized legal dispute has finally reached a conclusion. On Monday local time, the U.S. Supreme Court made a final ruling, declining to accept an appeal regarding whether AI-generated artworks can be protected by copyright. This decision not only upheld the lower court's original judgment but also officially confirmed that, under the current legal framework, purely AI-generated works cannot enjoy copyright protection.

The focal point of this legal battle was computer scientist Stephen Thaler. Since 2019, Thaler had attempted to register the copyright for the image "The Latest Gateway to Heaven" created by his algorithm system. However, the U.S. Copyright Office repeatedly rejected the application, citing the lack of "human authorship" elements in the work. Thaler then embarked on a long legal battle, trying to challenge this determination.

The court's reasoning was very clear. Previously, a federal district court judge explicitly stated that "human authorship" is a fundamental requirement of the copyright system. This means that regardless of how exquisite or technologically complex the AI-generated image may be, if it is entirely driven by algorithms without any substantial human creative involvement, it cannot be considered intellectual property protected by law. The appellate court maintained this view in 2025, and the Supreme Court's refusal to accept the case effectively sealed the verdict that "AI has no copyright."

To further regulate the market, the U.S. Copyright Office also emphasized in previous guidance that AI images generated solely based on text prompts (prompts) do not have copyright; only when the creator demonstrates sufficient "human originality contribution" in the work will certain parts be recognized.

This ruling has had a profound impact on the current AI creation ecosystem. It not only clarifies the boundaries between machines and humans at the legal level but also sends a clear message to all developers and artists: in the world of copyright law, human creativity remains the irreplaceable core.