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multimodal · Level 2

AI images and video: rights, provenance, labels and quality checks

Ownership, tool terms, consent, labelling, Content Credentials, quality checks and record keeping for AI-made media in the UK, EU and US.

By Mickarle Wagstaff-Irons - Micky Irons

  • Level 2Getting going
  • 105 min
  • 6 chapters
  • Free PDF, no account
Download free PDF (PDF, 1.8 MB)
The Signalmultimodal / 02

Start with the essentials

The short answer

To use AI images and video safely, check who owns the output where you live, because the UK, EU and US differ. Read your tool's terms for commercial rights, get written consent before showing a real person, label realistic AI content honestly (EU rules apply from 2 August 2026), check every file for errors and hidden metadata, and keep a short record of how it was made.

What you will learn

  • You will be able to explain how copyright treats AI output in the UK, the EU and the US, and where the position is unsettled.
  • You will be able to read a tool's terms for ownership, licence, indemnity, training on your uploads and rules on real people.
  • You will be able to decide when you need consent and when a label is required or wise.
  • You will be able to run a quality check covering artefacts, facts, alt text, captions and sensitive content, and remove hidden metadata from a copy of a file.
  • You will be able to say what Content Credentials can and cannot prove, and keep a record of how each file was made.

Who it is for

Small-business owners, teachers, creators and students in the UK, EU or US who want to use AI-generated images and video without getting into trouble. No legal background is needed.

Before you start

  • The Free AI toolkit workbook, or equivalent confidence choosing a tool and checking its terms and privacy settings. For chapter 5 you need Python 3 (the Python workbook shows how to install it); FFmpeg is optional.

Keep learning

The complete workbook

This workbook shows how to make and publish AI images and video without getting into trouble. You will learn the copyright position in the UK, EU and US, how to read a tool's terms, when you need consent and a label, what Content Credentials can prove, and a quality and metadata check you run yourself.

  1. 01
    Who owns an AI image or video?

    Ownership depends on where you are and how much of the work is yours.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise
  2. 02
    Read your tool's terms before you publish

    Your right to use an output comes from the law and the contract you accepted. Five questions cover any terms.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise
  3. 03
    People, likeness and voice

    The riskiest AI media shows real people. Get consent first, and know the law.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise
  4. 04
    Provenance and honest labels

    Provenance records where a file came from; a label tells people what they are seeing. You may need both.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise
  5. 05
    Quality checks and file hygiene

    Check what an output shows, whether it is accurate and accessible, and what the file hides.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise
  6. 06
    Keep a record, and know when to get advice

    A short record for each published file shows what you made, how, and on what terms.

    In the workbook · 1 exercise

Also inside: a 8-point checklist, a glossary of 12 terms and 10 questions and answers to test yourself. 6 hands-on exercises, each with a worked answer at the back where the workbook gives one.

Download all 6 chapters as PDF (PDF, 1.8 MB)

No login, no card, no account. Before the download we ask you to follow Mickai (two quick links). Free to download and use for personal learning, study groups and inside your own team. Please do not resell the workbooks or republish them as your own. Link people to trust-agent.ai instead.

Test yourself

Questions and answers

Do I own the images my AI tool makes?

It depends where you are. The UK protects computer-generated works, but the government has proposed removing that protection. The EU and the US require human creativity, and the US Copyright Office says prompts alone are not enough. Your own drawing, photos, edits and arrangement are protected in all three. Your tool's terms settle matters between you and the provider only.

Can I use AI images in my business?

Often, yes, if your tool's terms allow commercial use on your plan, the image does not copy someone else's work, brand or character, any real person has consented, and the result does not mislead customers. Read the terms, save a copy and keep a record of how you made it.

Is it legal to make an AI image or voice of a real person?

Sometimes, with their consent, but several laws apply. In the UK, a recognisable image is usually personal data, a fake that seriously harms someone's reputation can be defamatory, and in England and Wales creating, requesting or sharing a fake intimate image without consent is an offence. US states have their own publicity rights. Get written consent, and ask a solicitor if in doubt.

Do I have to label AI images and video?

In the UK there is no general legal duty, but ads must not mislead and platforms set their own rules. In the EU, from 2 August 2026, anyone using AI professionally must disclose deepfakes: realistic content that would falsely appear authentic. Labelling realistic AI content clearly is good practice everywhere.

Did the EU delay the AI labelling rules?

Not for deepfake labels. As read on EUR-Lex on 26 September 2026, Article 50, including deepfake disclosure, applies from 2 August 2026. The Digital Omnibus on AI, adopted in July 2026, gives providers whose tools were already on the market until 2 December 2026 to add machine-readable marking. Check EUR-Lex for later changes.

What are Content Credentials, and can I trust them?

They are a signed record of a file's origin and edits, defined by the C2PA standard. A valid credential shows who signed it and that the file has not changed since. It does not show that the content is true, and a missing credential does not mean a file is fake. Treat it as one piece of evidence.

Does removing metadata also remove Content Credentials?

It can. The credential is often embedded in the file, and a tool that rebuilds the image, like the script in this workbook, keeps none of it. Decide first whether you need the credential, and check the published file afterwards.

What should the alt text for an AI image say?

Describe the essential information the image conveys in its context. Use empty alt text for purely decorative images, and repeat any words shown in the image. Put the AI label in a visible caption so every reader gets it.

Is this workbook legal advice?

No. It is general education based on primary sources read on 26 September 2026, and the law is changing. For a dispute, a paid campaign, a contract about AI output or anything involving a real person, ask a solicitor or a lawyer where you live.

What should I record for each file?

The file name and a fingerprint, the date, the tool and plan, the terms version and a saved copy, the prompt, anything you uploaded, your own human work, the people shown and their consent, the checks you ran, and the label and where you published it.

When you have finished

Get your certificate of completion

Type your name and download a certificate for this workbook as a PDF, ready to print or to add to LinkedIn. It is made on your own device, so your name is never sent to us. It is a self-declared certificate, not an accredited qualification.

Make my certificate

Learn the language

Key terms

Copyright
The legal right to control copying of an original work, such as a picture, text, music or film.
Computer-generated work
In UK law, a work generated by computer with no human author. The person who made the necessary arrangements is treated as the author.
Terms of use
The contract you accept to use a tool. It sets what you may do with outputs and what the provider may do with your uploads.
Indemnity
A promise by one party to cover another's legal costs or losses if a particular kind of claim arises.
Digital replica
An AI-made imitation of a real person's face, body or voice.
Deepfake
In the EU AI Act, AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video that resembles existing people, objects, places, entities or events and would falsely appear authentic.

6 of the workbook's 12 terms. The complete glossary is in the workbook.

Follow the evidence

Sources and checks

Facts last checked: .

Examples in this workbook were run on: Python 3.12.10 with Pillow 12.2.0, and FFmpeg 8.1.1 (Windows build from gyan.dev), on Windows 11 in PowerShell 5.1 and Git Bash (2026-09-26).

These workbooks use AI assistance. See how the workbooks are made.

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 9 (Authorship of work)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 12 (Duration of copyright)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  3. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 178 (Minor definitions)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  4. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (consultation)Intellectual Property Office, DSIT and DCMS (GOV.UK)
  5. Report and impact assessment on Copyright and Artificial IntelligenceDSIT, DCMS and Intellectual Property Office (GOV.UK)
  6. Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (March 2026)DSIT, DCMS and Intellectual Property Office (GOV.UK)
  7. Judgment in Case C-683/17, Cofemel v G-Star RawCourt of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)
  8. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (initiative page)U.S. Copyright Office
  9. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: CopyrightabilityU.S. Copyright Office
  10. Copyright Registration Guidance: Works Containing Material Generated by Artificial IntelligenceU.S. Copyright Office
  11. Thaler v. Perlmutter, No. 23-5233 (D.C. Cir. 18 March 2025)U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (via U.S. Copyright Office)
  12. Docket No. 25-449, Thaler v. Perlmutter (petition denied 2 March 2026)Supreme Court of the United States
  13. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 1: Digital ReplicasU.S. Copyright Office
  14. Public Law 119-12, TAKE IT DOWN ActU.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)
  15. Complying With the Take It Down ActFederal Trade Commission
  16. What is personal data?Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
  17. Taking photographs: data protection advice for schoolsInformation Commissioner's Office (ICO)
  18. Defamation Act 2013, section 1 (Serious harm)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  19. Defamation Act 2013, section 15 (Meaning of publish and statement)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  20. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66A (photograph and film include computer-made images)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  21. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66B (Sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  22. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66D (interpretation)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  23. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66E (Creating purported intimate image of adult)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  24. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66F (Requesting the creation of purported intimate image of adult)legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  25. Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016, section 2legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  26. Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, section 51legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)
  27. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act), Official Journal textEUR-Lex (Publications Office of the European Union)
  28. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, consolidated version of 27 July 2026EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the European Union)
  29. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI)EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the European Union)
  30. Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-generated ContentEuropean Commission
  31. Commission publishes Code of Practice on marking and labelling AI-generated contentEuropean Commission
  32. EU icons for labelling AI-generated contentEuropean Commission
  33. Guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of AI systemsEuropean Commission
  34. Guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of AI systems (publication of 20 July 2026)European Commission
  35. Disclosure of AI in Advertising: Striking the Balance Between Creativity and ResponsibilityAdvertising Standards Authority and CAP
  36. C2PA Explainer (version 2.4)Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA)
  37. C2PA Technical Specification (version 2.4)Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA)
  38. Digital Source Type vocabularyIPTC
  39. Using C2PA Tool (c2patool)Content Authenticity Initiative (open-source documentation)
  40. Verify: inspect Content CredentialsContent Authenticity Initiative
  41. Images TutorialW3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  42. An alt Decision TreeW3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  43. Complex ImagesW3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  44. Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded)W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  45. Captions/SubtitlesW3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  46. Installation (Pillow)Pillow documentation
  47. Image module (getexif, has_transparency_data)Pillow documentation
  48. ImageOps module (exif_transpose)Pillow documentation
  49. Image file formats (JPEG and PNG options, PNG text)Pillow documentation
  50. ExifTags modulePillow documentation
  51. hashlib: secure hashes and message digestsPython Software Foundation
  52. ffmpeg documentationFFmpeg project
  53. ffprobe documentationFFmpeg project
  54. Download FFmpegFFmpeg project

Created by Mickarle Wagstaff-Irons - Micky Irons with the Mickai team. Published by Mickai LTD. Last updated 26 September 2026.

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