Based on the search results, the key points are:
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AI-generated images cannot be copyrighted, as they lack human authorship. The U.S. Copyright Office has made it clear that AI-generated works do not meet the requirements for copyright protection.
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However, if you take an AI-generated image and significantly transform or modify it through your own creative efforts, the resulting work may be eligible for copyright protection. The key is demonstrating sufficient human authorship and creativity beyond just the AI-generated output.
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Using AI-generated images without permission could still potentially infringe on the copyrights of the original works used to train the AI model, if those original works were copyrighted. The AI model itself does not have any copyrights, but the resulting images may still be derivative of protected works.
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Combining public domain works and AI-generated elements into a new creative work can potentially result in a copyrightable compilation, as long as the final work represents a sufficient amount of original human authorship and creativity.
In summary, the AI-generated images themselves are not copyrightable, but the resulting works you create by transforming or combining them with other elements may be eligible for copyright protection, depending on the level of your own creative contributions. Caution is advised to avoid potential copyright infringement issues.