Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of the head of the U.S. Copyright Office has generated confusion and doubt over his ability to terminate her, and also speculation about the role that a long-awaited report on AI may have played in his action.

President Donald Trump fired the Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter, on Sunday. Perlmutter was appointed by the former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, in 2020. In the days before this most recent firing,