Under Current Legal Principals, an Artificial Intelligence Cannot be a Patent Inventor

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reiterated that, under current legal principals, an artificial intelligence (AI) can not be a patent inventor, stating that: "USPTO regulations and the MPEP reflect the natural person inventorship requirement."

The statement was made yesterday (August 13, 2020) by Coke Stewart, Senior Counsel to the Director of the USPTO, at the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) quarterly meeting.

Other topics regarding AI were also discussed, including the use of AI at the USPTO to improve examiner search and analysis of prior art.

For details, see the Patent Public Advisory Committee quarterly meeting agenda.