U.S. appeals court says artificial intelligence can't be patent inventor

Thaler had asked for patents on behalf of his AI system Court affirms ruling that patent'inventor' must be human being Court affirms ruling that patent'inventor' must be human being The Patent Act requires an "inventor" to be a natural person, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said, rejecting computer scientist Stephen Thaler's bid for patents on two inventions he said his DABUS system created. Thaler said in an email Friday that DABUS, which stands for "Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience," is "natural and sentient." His attorney Ryan Abbott of Brown Neri Smith & Khan said the decision "ignores the purpose of the Patent Act" and has "real negative social consequences." He said they plan to appeal. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declined to comment on the decision.