A day after the US Copyright Office dropped a bombshell pre-publication report challenging artificial intelligence firms' argument that all AI training should be considered fair use, the Trump administration fired the head of the Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter—sparking speculation that the controversial report hastened her removal.

Shira Perlmutter, who has served as Register of Copyrights since 2020, was informed Saturday afternoon that her employment had been “terminated.”