If AI needs your work to function, it’s not ‘fair use’

Published June 5, 2026 5:00am ET



Artificial intelligence doesn’t create in a vacuum. Rather, it depends on human work to analyze data, discovering patterns and finding anomalies. That work is essential for AI’s machine learning. Therefore, categorizing such work as “fair use” misses the point.

As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, a fundamental question is emerging: What happens to creators’ rights — journalists, artists, statisticians — when their work becomes essential fuel for AI systems?

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