Review

HPC-AI Seminar "Can AI’s Be Authors?

Revisiting copyright in the age of
artificial intelligence" by Iain
Cunningham

The intersection of law, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing

(HPC) presents a unique matrix of complexities, one that Iain Cunningham, Vice
President and Deputy General Counsel at NVIDIA, navigated with remarkable dexterity
during his insightful seminar, "Can AI’s Be Authors? Revisiting copyright in the age of
artificial intelligence". Armed with his comprehensive understanding of intellectual
property law and significant industry experience, Cunningham's discussion raised many
timely questions about the present and future landscape of AI authorship and
copyrights.

Cunningham's in-depth exploration of the foundations of copyright law was informative,

providing a crucial groundwork for his later discussions on how AI might reshape our
understanding of intellectual property. His detailed discussion of seminal cases in
copyright law highlighted his extensive knowledge in the field, making it clear how vital
this understanding is for anyone operating in the HPC and AI industry.

The highlight of Cunningham's talk, however, was his exploration of the implications of
AI creations on current copyright law. He effectively drew attention to AI's growing
capabilities in creating high-quality, original content, with generative AI models such as
DALL-E 2 and Midjourney used as prime examples. He offered compelling arguments on
both sides of the debate, raising the issue of whether AI creations should be protected
from copying and how this might impact the creative industries. Cunningham's insights
were supported by his extensive background in intellectual property, data governance,
privacy, and information security. He took a balanced approach, acknowledging the
economic and creative implications of AI-generated works while also considering the
potential difficulties in assigning copyright to non-human entities. One crucial aspect
that he addressed was the human role in the AI creation process.
He pointed out the necessity of human input, both in the development of AI models and
in the fine-tuning of their outputs. This underlined the inherent complexity of the issue,
since AI's role as a tool versus its potential status as an 'author' is still blurry at best.
What set this seminar apart was not just Cunningham's balanced and nuanced
examination of the topic, but also the way he engaged the audience with
thought-provoking questions and interactive discussions. The hypothetical scenarios he
presented made the talk more engaging and helped to ground these complex issues in
real-world potentialities.

Overall, Cunningham’s seminar was enlightening and left me considering the potential
implications of AI in the creative and legal world. It was apparent that the legal
ramifications of AI's rapidly evolving capabilities are far from settled. His talk stimulated
much thought and discussion, a testament to the relevance and importance of this
subject in the AI and HPC field. It was a timely reminder that we need to continue this
dialogue as the technologies develop and begin to challenge our traditional concepts of
authorship and ownership. In conclusion, "Can AI’s Be Authors? Revisiting copyright in
the age of artificial intelligence" was an essential seminar for anyone interested in the
convergence of AI, HPC, and law. It provided a rare opportunity to dive deep into the
rapidly evolving world of AI copyright, offering a comprehensive view of where we are,
the challenges we face, and where we might be headed in the near future.

- By Yehor Zudikhin