Sure! Here is a two-paragraph answer to the question, Can AI-generated art be considered a derivative work if it's altered by a human, and if so, who owns the copyright?
According to recent court rulings and copyright legislation, AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted if it lacks a guiding human hand in its creation. The US Copyright Office has stated that works containing AI-generated material must disclaim any AI-generated content in their registration applications. However, if a work containing AI-generated material also contains sufficient human authorship, it may still qualify for copyright protection. The Copyright Office has warned that failure to accurately reflect the role of AI in copyrighted works could result in losing the benefits of registration, leaving works vulnerable to being exploited.
Therefore, if a human alters an AI-generated artwork, it may be considered a derivative work and qualify for copyright protection, but the copyright would belong to the human who made the alterations, not the AI that generated the original work. The question of whether AI-generated art can be copyrighted is still a topic of debate and may continue to evolve as AI technology advances and court cases provide further clarification.