While still in its infancy, artificial intelligence (AI) will undoubtedly play a large role in our lives. From mimicking human interactions to providing advancements in medical procedures, few technologies hold the potential to impact as many diverse fields as AI. With such potential, the market opportunities for this technology are endless. However, in the race to be the first to capture these opportunities, organizations should not forget to lay a strong foundation for protecting their intellectual property (IP), namely by filing for patent protection.
Patent offices across the globe are already gearing up to meet the rising demand. For example, Andrei Iancu, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, discussed the issue at a recent Senate Oversight Hearing, the European Patent Office recently held its first conference on patenting AI, and China recently revised its guidelines to be friendly to software patents, including those directed to AI.
