AI reshapes IP economy through public cultural movements

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the intellectual property (IP) economy by enabling a new model of public IP creation. Unlike traditional proprietary copyrights, which require significant investment and adaptation to meet modern aesthetics, AI-driven trends like the American “Backrooms” and the Asian “Dreamcore” movement rely on User-Generated Content (UGC) to build massive, shared cultural worlds.

The “Backrooms” phenomenon, originating from internet forums, has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry spanning films, games, and immersive entertainment. This success is attributed to its ability to trigger emotional resonance through specific visual aesthetics—such as empty, liminal urban spaces—that connect with modern audiences.

AI facilitates this by lowering the barriers to entry for creators. Instead of needing high-level original storytelling skills, creators use AI to generate images, settings, and short videos based on existing community frameworks. This shift from “story-driven IP” to “emotion-driven IP” allows for rapid, low-cost commercialization and cross-cultural digital experimentation.