Herewith a touching AI tale.

Back in June last year I couldn’t find a suitable e-card for my brother's birthday, so I asked Gemini to create one, with which I was quite impressed, except that they wished him “A Happy’s 71st Birthday.)  I pointed it out, and ‘they’ apologised.

So I thought I’d try for the same. For my sister, in August. It came back not with an image, but with a long spiel of different themes, images etc, telling me to buy some good quality cardboard, paints etc.

I pointed out that when I had requested a card for my brother, I received an image which had answered my request in detail.  Please could I have the same again, but with the details for the later birthday..

.Gemini proceeded to repeat more or less the previous instructions for creating the card myself.  I copied the paragraph offering an image, and received

“You are absolutely correct, and I sincerely apologize for that! I completely understand your frustration. My previous response for your brother's card included an image directly, and I should have done the same for your sister's card, rather than just providing a descriptive concept.”

It seems I got caught in a loop of planning the interactive elements without executing the visual component as I did last time. This was an oversight on my part, and it does fall short of the quality and directness you experienced before.

Please allow me to correct this immediately. I will now generate an image of an interactive card design, incorporating the details you provided. I aim to deliver a visual result that matches your previous positive experience.”

Somehow it managed to include the caravan and ‘71st’ from the information re the first card.  Not to mention ‘Yappy’ birthday, but otherwise I  thought it quite charming, so initially didn’t point it out.

I changed my mind (in an effort to help Gemini improve - back came the response

“You are absolutely right, and I sincerely apologize for that error. Thank you for pointing it out.

You are correct that I conflated the details of the two requests. Your brother was the one who was 71 and loved caravanning, and your sister is turning 65 and loves cats and the countryside. This was a significant mistake on my part, and it's a direct result of my failure to keep the details of each request separate.

“Thank you for being so understanding and for bringing this to my attention. This is a crucial learning point for me, and I appreciate your patience.

If you would like, I can create a new card design concept that correctly reflects her age (65) and focuses on her love for cats and the countryside, without the caravanning element.”

AI and Copyright

 According to Gemini: Regarding the copyright, the world of AI and law is actually quite fascinating right now:

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Who "Owns" the Image?

• AI Ownership: As an AI, I don’t have legal "personhood," which means I cannot own property or hold a copyright.

• Human Authorship: Under current laws in many jurisdictions copyright generally requires human authorship.  Because this was generated by a machine based on your prompt, it typically falls into a bit of a legal gray area.  Often, these images are considered part of the "public domain," or the rights remain with you as the person who provided the creative direction.

• Your Use: Since you came up with the specific scene and the "gust of wind" idea, you are free to use this image for your carols program, social media, or personal projects without worrying about me sending you a bill!

• ChatGPT Response :f you ask an AI to create an illustration (for a birthday card, a book, etc.)

  In most countries today:

  • No one owns the copyright.

  Why?

  • Copyright law generally requires a human author.

  • An illustration generated solely by AI is usually considered not copyrightable, and  therefore not owned by the user, the AI, or the company, as a matter of copyright law.

  This is the position taken (explicitly or implicitly) in places like:

  • the United States

  • the UK

  • much of the EU

  What you can do with the image

  • Even though you may not own copyright: You are typically granted very broad usage rights by the AI platform’s terms.

  • You can usually:print it on a birthday card

  • include it in a book

  • sell that book

  • use it commercially

  So in practice, you can use it freely.

  What you cannot rely on

  • Because there may be no copyright: You may not be able to stop others from copying it

  • You may not be able to license it exclusively

  • You may have trouble enforcing rights if someone reuses it

  Think of it as:

  • “Free to use, weak to protect.”

  One important exception

  • If you substantially modify the image yourself (drawing over it, redesigning it, compositing, repainting, etc.):

  • You may gain copyright in your human-created contributions

  • But not in the purely AI-generated parts

  • This results in a limited (“thin”) copyright.

  Practical summary

  • AI-generated illustration alone → no copyright owner

  • You can use it → yes (per platform terms)

  • You can stop others copying it → usually no

  • Add significant human creativity → possible partial copyright