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[2602.20169] Autonomous AI and Ownership Rules
Summary
This article explores the ownership rules surrounding AI-generated outputs, examining how they are linked to their creators and the implications of untraceable AI on market dynamics.
Why It Matters
As AI technologies advance, understanding ownership and accountability becomes crucial for legal frameworks and economic incentives. This article addresses potential market distortions caused by untraceable AI and proposes solutions to ensure responsible AI integration.
Key Takeaways
- Ownership of AI outputs can be maintained through accession doctrine when traceable to creators.
- Untraceable AI poses risks of market distortion and requires new ownership rules.
- Proposed solutions include bounty systems and government subsidies to encourage responsible AI use.
Computer Science > Computers and Society arXiv:2602.20169 (cs) [Submitted on 9 Feb 2026] Title:Autonomous AI and Ownership Rules Authors:Frank Fagan View a PDF of the paper titled Autonomous AI and Ownership Rules, by Frank Fagan View PDF Abstract:This Article examines the circumstances in which AI-generated outputs remain linked to their creators and the points at which they lose that connection, whether through accident, deliberate design, or emergent behavior. In cases where AI is traceable to an originator, accession doctrine provides an efficient means of assigning ownership, preserving investment incentives while maintaining accountability. When AI becomes untraceable -- whether through carelessness, deliberate obfuscation, or emergent behavior -- first possession rules can encourage reallocation to new custodians who are incentivized to integrate AI into productive use. The analysis further explores strategic ownership dissolution, where autonomous AI is intentionally designed to evade attribution, creating opportunities for tax arbitrage and regulatory avoidance. To counteract these inefficiencies, bounty systems, private incentives, and government subsidies are proposed as mechanisms to encourage AI capture and prevent ownerless AI from distorting markets. Subjects: Computers and Society (cs.CY); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) ACM classes: I.2.0 Cite as: arXiv:2602.20169 [cs.CY] (or arXiv:2602.20169v1 [cs.CY] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2...