IP Library Granted Patent US 12,574,240
Granted Patent B2
US 12,574,240 · App. 18/644,391 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Protecting content from generative artificial intelligence

Inventor: Adrian Wood (Clemmons, NC)
Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
H04L9/32H04L2209/16
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,574,240
App. No.
18/644,391
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present technology introduces a simple to use interface that integrates a mechanism to protect content items from use by one or more machine learning algorithms into interfaces of a content management system. In this way, the present technology can make it easy to protect content items where they are stored. The present technology protects against this use by providing options to obfuscate content in a way that can confound artificial intelligence systems during both training and use of the artificial intelligence systems. Additionally, the present technology can control access to content items shared using a link. The content management system can determine not to serve content items when requested by known artificial intelligence systems or services that train them. The present technology can also include automatic content protection rules that can cause the content management system to automatically protect content items when the content item is to be shared.

Claims (54)

1 . A method comprising:

receiving, by a user interface, a selection of an option to protect original content in a content item from use with an artificial intelligence system, the user interface displaying the content item in a content management system including the original content;

causing the content item containing the original content to be processed by an obfuscation service to result in obfuscated content, whereby the obfuscated content is configured to confound one or more artificial intelligence systems but is still visible to a human viewer; and

storing the obfuscated content in the content management system as a new version of the content item.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the option to protect the original content is to select a collection of content items and to protect the content items within the collection of content items automatically.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying the obfuscated content adjacent to the original content; and

presenting an option to revert from the obfuscated content to the original content, wherein, when selected, the option to revert causes a file system to revert from the new version of the content item containing the obfuscated content to an original version of the content item containing the original content.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share the original version of the content item with an additional user, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of a sharing option in the sharing interface that is configured to cause the original version of the content item to be shared with the additional user prior to the selection of the option to protect the original content from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share the original version of the content item with an additional user, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of an option to roll back the new version of the content item to an original version of the content item containing the original content;

presenting an alert informing the user that the rolling back the new version of the content item to the original version of the content item will cause the original content that is not protected from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems to be accessible to a recipient of the sharing.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share the original version of the content item with an additional user, the method further comprising:

displaying a notification to inform a user account that they are attempting to share the original content that is not protected from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that a newer version of the obfuscation service used to protect the new version of the content item exits;

presenting a warning informing a user account that the newer version of the obfuscation service is available;

receiving a selection of an option to automatically process the new version of the content item with the newer version of the obfuscation service to result in a second obfuscated version.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a configuration of an automatic content protection rule, wherein when the original version of the content item triggers the automatic content protection rule, the content item containing the original content is processed by the obfuscation service to result in the obfuscated content, wherein an example automatic content protection rule is to apply obfuscation when the original content is to be shared outside an enterprise.

9 . A computing system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing system to:

receive, by a user interface, a selection of an option to protect original content in a content item from use with an artificial intelligence system, the user interface displaying the content item in a content management system including the original content, wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share an original version of the content item with an additional user;

cause the content item containing the original content to be processed by an obfuscation service to result in obfuscated content, whereby the obfuscated content is configured to confound one or more artificial intelligence systems but is still visually similar to the original content to a human viewer; and

store the obfuscated content in the content management system as a new version of the content item.

10 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the selection of the option to protect the original content is to select a collection of content items and to protect the content items within the collection of content items automatically in a batch.

11 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:

display the obfuscated content adjacent to the original content; and

present an option to revert from the obfuscated content to the original content, whereby, when selected the option to revert causes a file system to revert from the new version of the content item containing the obfuscated content to an original version of the content item containing the original content.

12 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:

receive a selection of a sharing option in the sharing interface that is configured to cause the original version of the content item to be shared with the additional user prior to the selection of the option to protect the original content from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems.

13 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:

receive a selection of an option to roll back the new version of the content item to an original version of the content item containing the original content;

present an alert informing the user that the rolling back the new version of the content item to the original version of the content item will cause the original content that is not protected from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems to be accessible to a recipient of the sharing.

14 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the content is a video or an image.

15 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

determine that a newer version of the obfuscation service used to protect the new version of the content item exits;

automatically process the new version of the content item with the newer version of the obfuscation service to result in a second obfuscated version.

16 . The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

receive a configuration of an automatic content protection rule, wherein when the original version of the content item triggers the automatic content protection rule, the content item containing the original content is processed by an obfuscation service to result in the obfuscated content, wherein an example automatic content protection rule is to apply obfuscation when the original content is to be shared outside an enterprise.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive, by a user interface, a selection of an option to protect original content in a content item from use with an artificial intelligence system, the user interface displaying the content item in a content management system including the original content;

cause the content item containing the original content to be processed by an obfuscation service to result in obfuscated content, whereby the obfuscated content is configured to confound one or more artificial intelligence systems but is still visible to a human viewer; and

store the obfuscated content in the content management system as a new version of the content item.

18 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

display the obfuscated content adjacent to the original content;

present an option to revert from the obfuscated content to the original content, whereby, when selected the option to revert causes a file system to revert from the new version of the content item containing the obfuscated content to an original version of the content item containing the original content.

19 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share the original version of the content item with an additional user, wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

receive a selection of a sharing option in the sharing interface that is configured to cause the original version of the content item to be shared with the additional user prior to the selection of the option to protect the original content from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems.

20 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the user interface is a sharing interface effective to share the original version of the content item with an additional user, wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

receive a selection of an option to roll back the new version of the content item to an original version of the content item containing the original content;

present an alert informing the user that the rolling back the new version of the content item to the original version of the content item will cause the original content that is not protected from use with the one or more artificial intelligence systems to be accessible to a recipient of the sharing.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 12, 2024
From: DROPBOX, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069604/0611 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2024
From: WOOD, ADRIAN
To: DROPBOX, INC.
Reel/Frame 067280/0127 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250337574A1 · Oct 30, 2025
References Cited (24)
US 10839208B2 · Anthony Samy et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 11006077B1 · Truong · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11856261B1 · Stankovska · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11895034B1 · Yoskowitz · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 12425043B2 · Theis · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 12432042B2 · Andrews · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20200159930A1 · Venkateswaran · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200358925A1 · Hall · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210233204A1 · Alattar et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20230351060A1 · Springer · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240403484A1 · Becker · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20250206473A1 · Gibbons · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20250209583A1 · Kwong · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20250307465A1 · Fisher · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20250322733A1 · Swierkowski · 2025 [cited by examiner]
Chen, Xin et al. Deep Manifold Learning Combined With Convolutional Neural Networks for Action Recognition. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, vol. 29, Issue: 9. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp… [cited by examiner]
Liu, HaiLong et al. Visualization of Driving Behavior Based on Hidden Feature Extraction by Using Deep Learning. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 18, Issue: 9. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/st… [cited by examiner]
Shi, Hanyang et al. Imperceptible Visible Light Communications Based on Modified Just Imperceptible Difference and Aided by Deep Neural Network. IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking, vol. 8, Issue: 3… [cited by examiner]
Gordon R., “Using AI to Protect Against AI Image Manipulation,” MIT News, Jul. 31, 2023, 8 pages, Retrieved from the Internet: URL: https://news.mit.edu/2023/using-ai-protect-against-ai-image-manipulation-0731. [cited by applicant]
Jiang H., et al., “AI Art and its Impact on Artists,” AIES '23: Proceedings of the 2023 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Aug. 8-10, 2023, pp. 363-374, Retrieved from the Internet: URL: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3600211.3… [cited by applicant]
Ren J., et al., “Copyright Protection in Generative AI: A Technical Perspective,” arXiv:2402.02333v1, Feb. 4, 2024, 33 pages, Retrieved from the Internet: URL:(https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.02333.pdf. [cited by applicant]
Sanative AI., “Building Tools to Help People Thrive in a World Blended with AI,” Retrieved on Mar. 13, 2024, 5 pages, Retrieved from the Internet: URL: https://sanative.ai/. [cited by applicant]
Shan S., et al., “What Is Glaze?,” Glaze, Retrieved on Mar. 12, 2024, 8 pages, Retrieved from the Internet: URL: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/what-is-glaze.html. [cited by applicant]
Weatherbed J., “How To Keep Your Art out of AI Generators,” The Verge, Feb. 7, 2024, 20 pages, Retrieved from the Internet: URL: (https://www.theverge.com/24063327/ai-art-protect-images. [cited by applicant]