The Role of Copyright Authentication in AI-Generated Visual Content: Constructing Trust in AIGC Media Environments and the Impact of Copyright Ambiguity on Perceived Authenticity

Abstract

The rise of AIGC (Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content) content has changed the way of generating digital media, and a series of questions about authorship, copyright verification, and trust have emerged. AI avatars or visual content and their implications for IP law, generative models like DALL·E and Stable Diffusion challenge classical thinking on the topic of authorship and therefore protection needs to adopt different approach. This work explores the implications of copyright authentication for the nurturing of trust and perceived authenticity in AI-facilitated media ecologies. Through qualitative methodologies, content analysis and audience perception studies, this research examines whether digital watermarking, blockchain verification and metadata tracking lead to enhanced public trust in AI-generated media. The study also points to legal, technological and ethical barriers to standardizing copyright frameworks for AI-generated content. A synthesis of Media Trust theories, Intellectual Property Law and Posthumanism mapping insights, this research provides identities and actionable policy suggestions specifically for digital creators, platform providers, and policymakers. It recommends putting effective authentication systems in place so that we bring about an open, legal, and ethical media environment in the age of generative AI.