Copyright Ruling on AI Training: What Creators Need to Know

What happens when AI trains on your work—without your consent?

A recent U.S. court ruling just answered that question, and the implications for creators, designers, and marketers are enormous.

The court described this kind of training as “quintessentially transformative,” likening it to how a writer learns by reading the work of others.

Here’s What Happened

On Monday, June 23rd 2025, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled Anthropic, the company behind Claude, did not violate copyright law by training its AI on copyrighted books—so long as those books were obtained legally.

The court described this kind of training as “quintessentially transformative,” likening it to how a writer learns by reading the work of others. In short, AI can study books the same way people do—provided those books weren’t pirated. And this is where the court drew a clear line. Anthropic still faces trial for allegedly using pirated copies of books, a practice that isn’t protected by fair use.

And there’s another critical point—U.S. law (Thaler v. Perlmutter) makes clear that only works with meaningful human authorship can be copyrighted—purely AI-generated content remains ineligible, a standard separate from this ruling, but important to know.

Here’s What it Means

For creators, the message is mixed. On the one hand, Judge Alsup's ruling ensures continued access to powerful generative tools. AI can still play a vital role in creative work—helping with brainstorming, speeding up prototyping, and automating repetitive tasks. That’s a clear win for productivity and scale.

But the risks are real. If your original content is used to train an AI without your permission, there’s little recourse under current law. And if you rely too heavily on AI, you could lose ownership of your own output.

Moving Forward

Marketers and agencies face additional pressure to ensure they’re not inadvertently infringing on existing works, especially as AI-generated content becomes harder to distinguish.

That’s why adapting your workflow is essential. Make sure to document your human input throughout the creative process—it’s the clearest path to asserting copyright protection. Be vigilant about sourcing; only use content that’s been legally obtained. Review and revise your contracts to disclose when and how AI is being used. Stay current on legal developments, because the rules are changing fast. And whenever the option exists, consider turning off AI training on platforms that collect user data by default.

The bottom line? AI isn’t going away. But creators who understand the legal guardrails—and add unmistakable human value—will shape the next era of content, not get lost in it.