⚠ PSA: Watch Out for GenAI Extras

The Risk

As more of us use GenAI chatbots to speed up writing and coding, it’s worth watching for one subtle but important risk: AI sometimes adds “extras” you didn’t ask for—like copyright notices, license statements, or boilerplate legal language.

Why this matters

• False copyright claims – An auto-inserted “Copyright 2023” can make it look like you are claiming rights to material you don’t own.
• Wrong years – If you do own the work, the wrong year can weaken your copyright claim.
• License mismatches – Adding boilerplate without the correct license text (e.g., GPL, Creative Commons) can violate terms and cause legal headaches.
• Perception problems – Even if harmless internally, in public-facing work it can give the wrong impression to customers or partners.

The Mitigation

• Review AI-generated work for anything you didn’t explicitly request, especially at the top or bottom of the file or document.
• Remove any copyright or license lines unless you’re 100% sure they’re correct and necessary.
• For shared or open-source projects, follow the project’s existing license and attribution format exactly.

The Bottom Line

AI is a powerful assistant, but it doesn’t know your legal context. You own the responsibility for what goes out the door. A quick scan before you share can save a lot of trouble later.