EFF: Stupid patents are dragging down AI and machine learning

Each month, the patent lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation shine a spotlight on one particular patent they believe is a drag on innovation. This month, they're looking at one of the fastest-growing sectors of technology: machine learning and artificial intelligence. EFF lawyer Daniel Nazer has picked out an artificial intelligence patent belonging to Hampton Creek, a San Francisco food-tech company that markets products under the brand name "just." Nazer acknowledges that Hampton Creek's patent isn't as bad as some of the other ones highlighted in the EFF Stupid Patent series, but it's worth pointing out because of the serious problems it could create for innovation in machine learning.