Where We Are on AI Inventorship and Where We Should be Heading

"It is likely a matter of time until an AI will be able to simulate human thought, think creatively, and independently identify and solve problems…. If current laws remain unchanged…the owner of the AI-generated IP can and likely will attempt to protect AI-based inventions as trade secrets to the extent possible." The past few years saw a meteoric rise of artificial intelligence (AI) products, services, and applications. AI has evolved from merely a buzzword or a cool new idea to a substantively used tool in a variety of applications, including autonomous driving, natural language processing, drug development, finance and cybersecurity among others. Companies, universities, and inventors world-wide noted the importance of AI and began seeking to patent various aspects of AI technology.