AI copyright in the AI era must exist to protect and vitalize creation.
The moment we forget this, copyright law becomes a digital red flag.
In 1865, Britain required a man waving a red flag to walk ahead whenever a car drove on the road. The era that feared technology shackled innovation. In 2025, we face a similar scene: the copyright debate over AI creations. Is what we hold another red flag, or a shield protecting the future of creation?
Warning from the past — the Red Flag Law: The 1865 Locomotive Act limited cars to 2 mph on roads, requiring a pedestrian with a red flag to go ahead. Surface-level safety justification was actually suppression protecting the existing carriage industry and vested interests. Result: Britain fell behind Germany, France, and the US in automotive industry. "The red flag didn't protect safety — it only delayed Britain's industrial future."
Current AI copyright collision: Generative AI has deeply penetrated human creative territory — text, images, music, video. Creators worldwide are raising issues about their works being used as AI training data without permission. But the first question must be: "Is AI a creative subject or a tool?" To me, AI is a tool — an assistant helping humans. The creative subject must remain human.
The essence of the debate — protection or suppression? AI copyright regulation conflicts between "protection" and "suppression." Creators want to protect their rights, but excessive regulation can suppress technological development and new creation. Important: not equating AI with creators. AI is merely a tool of replication and recombination — giving AI legal personhood and making it a copyright subject undermines the ontological foundation of human creation itself. EU, US, and Korea have all begun treating AI and copyright in new frameworks. "If we forget this, copyright law will become another digital red flag — future generations' laughingstock." The answer: "maintaining human humanity." Technology is always fast; law is always slow. But law exists not to suppress creation but to protect it and make the world richer. "Copyright in the AI era must exist to protect and vitalize creation — the moment we forget this, it becomes a digital red flag."
