WIPO Director General Daren Tang opened the 12th WIPO Conversation on Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies with a call for the future-proofing of the global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem amid the growth of AI tools and synthetic media.
The “WIPO Conversation: IP and Synthetic Media” session took place October 28-29, 2025, bringing together governments, policymakers, creators, academics and innovators to discuss intellectual property (IP) and synthetic media – artificial intelligence (AI) generated images, videos, audio and text.
“The concept of IP rights was built on the idea that society benefits from original ideas, and we should reward the people who come up with them. And I emphasize “people” because I see AI as a powerful tool, but ultimately still a tool, that should be used to empower, enable and serve the human creator and innovator. And as a tool, our work must be to support its use for good,” said Mr. Tang.
“For both synthetic media and AI more generally, Member States are assessing different regulatory approaches, and we are supporting them with legislative and policy advice. We must ensure that the IP ecosystem is future-ready”, he said.
Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and the Media, delivered his remarks through a lifelike digital avatar – a computer-generated version of himself. “AI should be designed to serve people, not replace them – keeping humanity at its core, because only human-centric AI builds a better future”, he noted.
More than 1,700 participants from across the world joined the two-day discussion, which kicked off with an interactive quiz hosted by a digital avatar of WIPO IP and Frontier Technologies Director, Dr. Ulrike Till. Through the course of the event, participants shared experiences, identified challenges, and explored policy options to address the impact of synthetic media and the role the IP system can play.
Panels on the various use cases for synthetic media
Panelists discussed how synthetic media, powered by vast datasets, sophisticated algorithms, and high-capacity computing, is blurring the line between reality and simulation.
Panelists highlighted the potential to democratize creativity, lowering production costs in entertainment and advertisements while improving accessibility for small creators. They noted that synthetic media can enable multilingual communication, bring historical archives to life, and generate new data in the field of research and medicine without compromising patient privacy.
At the same time, panelists warned that the technology could generate hyper-realistic deepfakes and digital replicas, raising ethical, societal, and economic concerns such as identity theft, evidence manipulation, and online abuse.
Panels on existing non-IP and IP frameworks for synthetic media
Panelists discussed how a global patchwork of existing legal frameworks—both in and outside of IP—attempt to balance protection of rights and address potential abuses while continuing to encourage creativity and innovation.
Authors and creators have expressed concerns about the unauthorized use of their works by AI without compensation, which undermines their right to license and control over their work.
Panelists noted that since synthetic media relies on human likeness and expression, it often invokes several laws including IP, privacy, consumer protection, competition law, and human rights law.
Some panelists suggested that the international copyright framework could answer parts of the challenge even though it was developed prior to existence of AI. Some also noted that performers’ rights under the WIPO Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (2013) may help address the use of digital replicas in entertainment and advertising industries.
Panel on contracts, content moderation and litigation
Panelists reviewed how the existing legal frameworks play out in practice, through contracting practices, online content moderation and litigation.
They highlighted laws that addressed AI-generated content, from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles of fairness and accountability to Indian court rulings that protect artists from voice cloning without their consent.
Deep-dive presentations on numerous aspects of synthetic media
Apart from the panels, leading global scholars shared insights in deep-dive presentations covering an overview of what synthetic media is, how it can be best enabled for positive advancement for growth and development, and what can be done at the technical level to develop tools that promote the benefits of synthetic media while mitigating risks. Potential measures include watermarks, labelling of synthetic media, and traceability mechanisms, as well as clear authorship and liability rules.
These perspectives from around the world, helped to add further dimension to the policy debates at the heart of the rise of synthetic media.
Final Panel on the future role of IP laws to address synthetic media
The final panel of the event addressed the key question of the role that IP laws can play moving forward. Panelists agreed that while existing IP and other legal frameworks provided a basis for addressing issues related to synthetic media, international collaboration remains essential.
Panelists also discussed the United States’ “No Fakes” bill, Denmark’s recent copyright amendment, and China’s digital personal right, which shows the growing global effort to safeguard content in the age of synthetic media.
Panelists agreed that some issues require further discussion, including the illegal and unauthorized scraping of cultural expression and Indigenous stories without consent or compensation.
Panelists underscored the importance of continued experience sharing and exchange of best practices. WIPO’s convening role in fostering a common understanding of these emerging issues was highlighted.
In closing the conference, WIPO Assistant Director General Ken Natsume said: “By staying open, inclusive, and grounded in evidence, we can ensure that the IP system continues to serve its essential purpose – to support innovation and creativity”.
About the WIPO Conversation
Launched in 2019, the WIPO Conversation on Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies serves as the leading global forum for policymakers, industry, academia, and civil society to discuss the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence on the IP system. It builds on WIPO’s long-standing engagement with technology and innovation, fostering dialogue to ensure that the international IP system remains fit for the digital age.