USPTO: Humans Must Be Named as Inventors on AI-Assisted Patents
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The US Patent and Trademark Office said only humans can be named as inventors on patents, not AI systems. Real people must make a "significant contribution" to an invention involving AI.
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The guidelines provide clarity for innovators on what's needed for AI-assisted inventions to be eligible for patents.
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Examples show prompts and training given to AI systems may constitute a significant human contribution. Simply presenting a problem to an AI system may not.
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The guidelines build on existing case law that has already established only people can be named as inventors.
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There are concerns the rules may encourage low-quality, AI-assisted patent applications that lead to unproductive litigation.