Copyright and Generative AI - Prof Michael Carroll and Assistant Prof Charles Duan (SLIDES ONLY)

What are the the specific legal issues presented by generative artificial intelligence under US copyright law? This question is considered in this presentation by Professors Mike Carroll and Charles Duan at a conference hosted by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University on 29 September 2023.

Modern copyright law arose when existing modes of regulation for information technology proved inadequate to meet the challenge of transformative information technology. Over the last 200 years, by contrast, the copyright system has met other such challenges – from the rise of electronic mass media to the digital turn in expression, more or less successfully – often by adapting or even fictionalizing existing doctrine. Now, we are asked to consider what adjustments may be required to accommodate Generative Artificial Intelligence, the next new technology to challenge the doctrinal paradigm of copyright.

Michael W. Carroll is Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (2009 – present). He teaches and writes about intellectual property law and cyberlaw. Professor Carroll's research focuses on the search for balance in intellectual property law over time in the face of challenges posed by new technologies. His research includes projects about the social costs imposed by one-size-fits-all intellectual property rights and about the history of copyright in music.

Charles Duan is Assistant Professor at PIJIP. He designs and manages research projects at the intersection of intellectual property and public interest policy. His current research is focusing on the impact of patent law on generic drug availability and scientific research, computer software copyrights, and competition and interoperability in digital markets.