AI copyright battles enter pivotal year as US courts weigh fair use

The sprawling legal fight over tech companies’ vast copying of copyrighted material to train their artificial intelligence systems could ‍be entering a decisive phase in 2026.

After a string of fresh lawsuits and a landmark settlement in 2025, the new year promises to bring ⁠a wave of rulings that could define how US copyright law applies to generative AI. At stake is whether companies like OpenAI, Google and Meta can rely on the legal doctrine of fair use to shield themselves from liability – or if they must reimburse copyright holders, which could cost billions.