Elvis Presley may have left the building decades ago, but his music remains firmly in the public consciousness. Tracks such as 'Can’t Help Falling in Love' continue to be associated with his enduring legacy, making the ownership of his musical catalog a matter of considerable importance. As AI companies race to develop increasingly sophisticated models, the question of whether copyrighted material can be used to train these systems without permission has become a major flashpoint between technology firms and creative rights holders.

And when it comes to borrowing from the greats, it seems even the King of Rock and Roll has found himself caught up in the debate.

The companies controlling the rights to Elvis Presley's music have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging that its AI model, Claude, was trained using 274 of the singer's songs, such as 'Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,' 'Run On,' and 'Farther Along,' without authorization. The plaintiffs, Authentic Brands Group and Raleigh Music Publishing, are seeking approximately $50 million in damages, arguing that their copyrighted works were used without permission or compensation (via Variety).

According to the 28-page lawsuit filed Friday in the Northern District of California, the plaintiffs allege the misused catalog includes some of Presley's best-known songs (via Variety). The complaint further claims that Claude can generate material resembling existing compositions, raising concerns about the potential creation of unauthorized derivative works. 

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While lawyers will have to determine where the law draws the line, audiences have been making their own judgments about AI's growing role in entertainment. Because when algorithms start stepping into the creative spotlight, not everyone is ready to give them a standing ovation.

The backlash surrounding Elon Musk's AI-generated version of The Odyssey offers another glimpse into the complicated relationship between artificial intelligence and creative expression. After criticizing Christopher Nolan's adaptation, Musk promised a historically accurate, AI-generated take on Homer's epic using Grok Imagine. The first seven-minute episode, titled The Fall of Troy, arrived in October, but its reception was far from universally triumphant.

Some viewers criticized the short's pacing, stiff performances, mismatched voices, and lack of emotional depth. One X user described it as “technically impressive and artistically barren,” neatly capturing the tension between AI's ability to produce polished visuals and its struggle to deliver a cohesive, emotionally engaging experience.

The complaints about Grok's film are not the same as the copyright allegations against Anthropic. One concerns audience dissatisfaction with an AI-generated creative work; the other involves claims about the unauthorized use of copyrighted songs. Still, both stories point to a larger debate: just because AI can generate something does not automatically mean audiences will embrace it—or creators will accept how it was made.

For all its technological wizardry, AI still has to contend with the human element: artistic intent, emotional connection, and the rights of the people whose work helped shape the culture in the first place. And if the King himself is now part of that conversation, the industry may have to face a question that is becoming harder to ignore: who really pays the price when AI takes center stage?

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What do you think about Anthropic using Elvis Presley's songs to train Claude? Let us know in the comments.