It is no exaggeration to say the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is already upon us with the World Economic Forum attributing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the growth and consolidation of technologies such as AI, machine learning, deep learning and the Internet of Things (IoT). AI has impacted almost all industries, including healthcare, education, finance, retail & e-commerce, and gaming & entertainment. There appears to be little signs of slowing down with the growth in innovation evident not only in the product and service offerings available in the marketplace for consumers, but also in the world of intellectual property. These factors appear to be generating the perfect storm where competitors vie for exclusivity over a given'AI' trade mark in a sector that is getting more crowded by the year. Disputes over'AI' trade mark rights are therefore likely to increase as a result.

New technologies have always thrown up new questions about Intellectual Property. Whether that's the printing press revolution, the invention of recorded music, or the advent of the internet. Artificial Intelligence is no different. Over the past ten years AI technologies have accelerated. I've seen for myself the incredible impact they're having across a huge range of sectors – from medicine to manufacturing.