Artificial Intelligence can't technically invent things, says patent office

Artificial intelligence is the future. If "Westworld" or "Black Mirror" are to be believed, there will soon come a day when the computers rule us all. The USPTO has denied a pair of patents filed on behalf of DABUS, an artificial intelligence system, and published a ruling that says US patents can only be granted to "natural persons." The two patents were for a food container and a flashlight, and were filed by Stephen Thaler, an AI researcher and DABUS' creator. According to the filing from the USPTO, Thaler calls DABUS a "creativity machine" and wanted the AI to get full credit for the inventions. The filing says Thaler argued that "allowing a machine to be listed as an inventor would incentivize innovation using AI systems."