Generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT and Midjourney are rapidly evolving. Students, staff and faculty will find that guidance on the ethical and legal uses of generated works in higher education will change as more is learned. This page will be updated as new legislation, regulations, and policies are made available.
The use of AI tools and AI generated content is governed by Algonquin College’s Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policies. The following page is not intended as legal advice and should only be used to help guide students, staff and faculty when engaging with the copyright uncertainties of using AI generated works in an educational context.
While some programs may retain partial rights of created content, the legal and ethical responsibilities are most often the responsibility of the user. It is important to read through any licensing or terms of use to fully understand what rights and liabilities that you may have.
AI generators are programed using large data sets that may include copyright protected material. The sophistication of the generative process can allow users to accurately mimic styles of creators.
Those generated works can violate a creators economic and moral copyrights right by,
Yes. Posting or ‘making available’ content you generate through AI programs may open you to legal risks if the content contains enough similarities to infringe on protected works.
Under current definitions, AI generated works are not considered protected by copyright since,
Works that would have qualified for copyright protections before the use of AI tools would likely maintain their eligibility.
For example, adding AI generated elements to a photograph would not disqualify the photograph of its original protections. The AI generated elements added may not have protections of their own.
It is important to discuss the use of AI programs prior to adopting them. Generated content should never be claimed as original or used to replicate any existing protected works. Using AI tools may be permissible if,
For additional information on using Generative AI at Algonquin College, please see our Generative AI Subject Guide.
Home - Generative AI - Subject Guides at Algonquin College (libguides.com)
All content found on this subject guide is intended for Algonquin College staff, faculty, and students. This guide is a reference for the application of general copyright principles and practice and is not intended to provide legal advice.