Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence Prompts

Miao Wu

2025

Abstract

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) models in natural language processing has transformed prompts from purely technical tools into commodified digital assets with substantial commercial value. This transformation has given rise to a burgeoning prompt trading market and triggered debates surrounding the copyrightability of prompts. This paper examines whether and how prompts may be eligible for copyright protection, emphasizing the necessity of constructing an institutional framework to safeguard the legitimate rights of prompt creators and users, support the trading market, and facilitate the sustainable advancement of AI technologies. To that end, the paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the essence, features, and internal structure of prompts, aiming to assess the rationality and legal feasibility of affording copyright protection under existing legal doctrines. Specifically, it focuses on three core aspects: the textual expression constituting originality, the qualification and role of the author, and the intellectual labour embedded in the creation of prompts. Moreover, this paper proposes enhancing the legal response by extending judicial interpretation to establish clearer standards. It further advocates for a novel paradigm of human-computer collaboration and the strengthening of industry self-regulation, thereby striking a balance between incentivizing innovation and preventing the monopolization or abuse of digital rights.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Wu M. (2025). Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence Prompts. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS; ISBN 978-989-758-785-6, SciTePress, pages 559-564. DOI: 10.5220/0014389800004859

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icplss25,
author={Miao Wu},
title={Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence Prompts},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS},
year={2025},
pages={559-564},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0014389800004859},
isbn={978-989-758-785-6},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS
TI - Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence Prompts
SN - 978-989-758-785-6
AU - Wu M.
PY - 2025
SP - 559
EP - 564
DO - 10.5220/0014389800004859
PB - SciTePress