A Monkey Can't Hold Copyright. But What About a Robot?

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. What do Suda the elephant and e-David the robot have in common? Both are capable of creating beautiful paintings, free(ish) of human intervention--one uses its trunk to clutch the brush, the other a mechanical arm (though whether Suda is truly "free" when she paints is a matter of serious contention). Each can even sign their work. The quality of their paintings does vary slightly, though of course, beauty is in the visual sensor of the beholder.