Marks & Clerk featured in the Financial Times: Rapid advances in AI set to upend intellectual property

There is arguably no hotter topic in the world right now than the rise - and rise - of Artificial Intelligence. But does this technology have the power to disrupt the very industry that is there to protect it? 

We’ve been at the forefront in the EPO’s engagement with the patent profession as they try to bring some legal certainty and consistency to examining AI applications and developing clear guidelines. In addition, we’re working with patent offices around the world to develop their strategy in this fast-evolving area. We are proud to be a respected thought-leader in this area and were delighted to join the debate!

But, if AI does become capable of developing patentable inventions with negligible human input, would that make patents, which are designed to spur human innovation and economic growth, irrelevant? “If AI makes everything so easy to invent . . . if it’s just a case of clicking a button and everyone has access to it, in theory, policymakers may decide that they don’t need to grant patents,” says Mike Williams, partner and AI specialist at Marks & Clerk, an intellectual property law firm.

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