The World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) held its third "Conversation on Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence" on November 4, 2020, to discuss its revised issues paper on Intellectual Property Policy and Artificial Intelligence. Public bodies in the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union have each recently published reports on the interrelationship of AI on IP policy. In October 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a report, Public Views on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Policy, on two formal requests for comments, and the European Parliament published a report on intellectual property rights for the development of AI technologies. In September 2020, the UK's Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) published a call for views on the policy considerations and future relationship between AI and IP. Courts in each jurisdiction have so far rejected the suggestion that AI has its own legal personality.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today launched "WIPO: AI and IP, A Virtual Experience," an immersive online exhibition using the latest 360 degree scanning technology to foster a more-comprehensive understanding of the relationship between IP policy and AI and the questions facing policymakers. The exhibition is the first of its kind at WIPO and offers visitors an interactive opportunity to discover this radical new technology, while exploring some of the many ways AI promises to transform culture and industry. "This exhibition is part of a larger process of WIPO's engagement with AI, where we are having a conversation among many stakeholders to explore and develop the questions arising from the impact of AI on IP policy," said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. "We hope users find the exhibition both educational and entertaining." The exhibition was unveiled during the Sept. 16-18 WIPO Conference on the Global Digital Content Market, which explored the latest worldwide developments in the creative industries sector brought about by digital technologies such as AI.

Intellectual Property rewards people for creativity and innovation. It is crucial to the proper functioning of an innovative economy. The UK is voted one of the best IP environments in the world. To keep it that way we are keen to look ahead to the challenges that new technologies bring. We need to make sure the UK's IP environment is adapted to accommodate them.

AI is increasingly driving important developments in technology and business and is being deployed across industry, from telecommunications to autonomous vehicles. Increasing stores of big data and advances in affordable high computing power are fueling AI's growth. The growth of AI across a range of technical fields raises a number of policy questions with respect to IP. WIPO held a Conversation on IP and AI on September 27, 2019, bringing together Member States and other stakeholders to discuss the impact of Al on IP policy, with a view to collectively formulating the questions that policymakers need to ask. At the conclusion of the meeting, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry announced that WIPO would commence an open process to develop a list of issues concerning the impact of Al on IP policy that might form the basis of future structured discussions.

In an age when artificial intelligence can churn out poetry, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is expanding its query into how intellectual property protections need to adapt to cover creations by non-humans.