Who Owns AI-Generated Content in the AI Agent Era?

Synthetic Creativity: Balancing IP Rights in a World of AI Agents

Synthetic creativity powered by AI, is transforming how we create and innovate. Tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and MidJourney can produce art, music, stories, and designs in mere seconds.

Furthermore, AI agents are emerging as key players—not only generating content, but also managing, trading, and enforcing IP rights at scale, adding complexity to an already complex IP framework.

What Is Synthetic Creativity?

Synthetic creativity refers to the outputs generated by AI systems from large datasets, such as art, music or literature. AI agents extend this concept by operating autonomously on the creative output front; it is also capable of making decisions, executing transactions, and potentially enforcing IP rights without human oversight.

While AI agents offer unmatched efficiency and scalability in the creative process, they may also help with intellectual property ownership, attribution, licensing, and enforcement.

The IP Dilemmas of Content Creation By AI Agents

1. Who Owns AI-Generated Content Created by Agents?

The introduction of AI agents raises critical questions about ownership:

If an AI agent creates an artwork independently, does the IP belong to the developer, the deploying entity, or does it fall into the public domain?

In collaborative cases, such as an AI-generated song using human prompts or training data, how should contributions be valued and ownership split?

AI agents create works by reconfiguring existing data, but the line between 'original' and 'derivative' is unclear; outputs resembling copyrighted works may infringe on IP rights.

The lack of clarity in current IP systems creates uncertainty in industries increasingly reliant on AI agents.

2. Creative Attribution

AI agents rely on large datasets, often including copyrighted material, to generate creative works. Yet, they rarely credit or compensate the creators whose work enabled these outputs. This raises key concerns:

Training datasets: AI agents use copyrighted material without permission, creating ethical and legal issues when generating derivative works.

Invisible creators: Artists, writers, and coders whose works form the foundation of these datasets risk having their contributions and recognition overlooked.

3. Enforcement is Outpaced by Scale

AI agents create content at such speed and volume that tracking and regulating infringement becomes nearly impossible:

Deepfakes and AI-generated content can flood the market faster than copyright takedown tools can respond

IP enforcement agents can help address or exacerbate these issues, depending on their application

Conclusion: Clear Guidelines on IP Rights in AI Agentic Era Needed

The rise of AI agents is transforming the creative landscape, but it also exposes significant gaps in IP frameworks around ownership, attribution, and enforcement. Blockchain and Web3 AI solutions could offer a path toward greater transparency and fairness, but achieving balance between innovation and equity will be essential to shaping a sustainable IP ecosystem in the coming AI agent age.

Find out more about AI agents through aelf's aevatar.ai framework.

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*Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other form of professional advice. aelf makes no guarantees or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information on this blog. You should not make any investment decisions based solely on the information provided on this blog. You should always consult with a qualified financial or legal advisor before making any investment decisions.

What's aelf Ventures?

aelf Ventures is the investment arm of aelf, a high-performance Layer 1 AI blockchain platform that offers builders and users advanced AI functionalities and cutting-edge infrastructure. With a dedicated fund of $50 million, aelf Ventures is focused on empowering Layer 1 blockchain projects and various aspects of the Web3 ecosystem, such as DeFi, GameFi, NFT, and those looking to make the transition from Web2 to Web3.

Till date, aelf Ventures has invested in projects such Crystal Fun and Confiction Labs (pka. Mythic Protocol), and is actively incubating promising ventures within the ecosystem such as Portkey, eBridge, Forest NFT Marketplace, AwakenSwap, eWell, and BeanGoTown.

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Tool/Platform	What's it about
ChainGPT	An AI-powered assistant for the blockchain and crypto industry, specializing in content creation, language translation, smart contract coding, and more.
aelf	A high-performance, customisable multi-chain blockchain framework with AI-powered smart contracts and a developer-friendly environment.
Quick Intel	An AI-powered crypto security platform that helps investors avoid scams, rug pulls, and honeypots by analysing smart contracts, social sentiment, and on-chain data.
Cogwise AI News Aggregator	An AI-powered news aggregator that analyses real-time news and global trends to predict market movements in the crypto market.
OpenAI Codex	An AI system that transforms natural language into code, automating code creation for smart contracts, blockchain applications, and other development tasks.
QnA3	An AI-powered Web3 knowledge hub that provides real-time information and insights on cryptocurrencies, blockchain projects, and the broader Web3 ecosystem, with unique Solana Actions integrations.
Fetch.ai	A platform that combines AI and blockchain to create autonomous economic agents (AEAs) for various applications, including supply chain optimisation and smart city management.
Octavia	A decentralised digital identity (DID) platform for creating and managing self-sovereign digital identities, empowering users to control their data and online presence.
TensorFlow	A versatile open-source machine learning framework used for building AI models that can analyse blockchain data, enhance security, and predict market trends.
Alethea	A platform that creates 'Intelligent NFTs' (iNFTs) with unique personalities and the ability to engage in conversations, powered by AI and blockchain technology.

Chain	URL	Explorer
AELF	https://aelf-test-node.aelf.io/	https://explorer-test.aelf.io/
tDVW	https://tdvw-test-node.aelf.io/	https://explorer-test-side02.aelf.io/

Feature	Description
Inheritance	ERC-404 inherits from the interfaces IERC-404, IERC721 Receiver, and IERC165, implementing functions specified in these interfaces, behaving as both ERC20 and ERC721.
Data Structures	Mappings track balances, allowances, approvals, and ownership of tokens. Double-ended queue stores ERC721 token IDs. Data for managing ownership and indices of ERC721 tokens.
Constructor	Initialises token name, symbol, decimals, and other necessary variables for ERC20 and ERC721 tokens.
Token Minting and Burning	_mintERC20 function for minting ERC20 tokens. _retrieveOrMintERC721 function for minting ERC721 tokens and retrieving from a bank. _withdrawAndStoreERC721 function for depositing ERC721 tokens into the bank.
Transfers	Functions for transferring ERC20 and ERC271 tokens between addresses. Distinguishes between token types based on ID. _transferERC20WithERC721 function handles transfers involving both types.
ERC20 and ERC721 Interactions	Approve function handles approvals for both token types. Functions like transferFrom, safeTransferFrom, and permit handle transfers and approvals.
EIP-2612 Support	Supports EIP-2612 permit functionality for ERC20 tokens.
Interface Compatibility	Implements necessary functions for ERC-404 and ERC165 interfaces, indicating compatibility with ERC20 and ERC721 standards.

Role	Max Number
BP	2N+1, N starts from 8 in 2022
Candidate node	5*(2N+1)
Voter	No limit

Benefits	Description
Makes smart contracts 'smarter'	AI-driven smart contracts can autonomously modify terms based on predefined conditions and real-time data input, ensuring that the contracts are not just automated but also intelligent and self-improving over time.
Levelled up data analysis	Data is the new oil, and AI is the machinery that refines it. It is possible for AI to reduce large-volume blockchain data analysis time by up to 90%.
Boosts security	Through machine learning models, AI can prevent frauds and detect security threats in real time. It can identify potential breaches, predict future threats, and adapt to evolving security measures.
Lowers carbon footprint	AI algorithms help optimise energy consumption in blockchain operations, given the flak drawn by activities like Bitcoin mining.

Balancing IP Rights in AI-Generated Content | aelf Ventures