{"id":321595,"date":"2021-08-11T15:22:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T12:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/backlash-grows-against-decision-to-grant-patent-to-ai-system\/"},"modified":"2021-08-11T15:22:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T12:22:25","slug":"backlash-grows-against-decision-to-grant-patent-to-ai-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/backlash-grows-against-decision-to-grant-patent-to-ai-system\/","title":{"rendered":"#Backlash grows against decision to grant patent to AI system"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a364da4966ab\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a364da4966ab\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/backlash-grows-against-decision-to-grant-patent-to-ai-system\/#Creativity_machines\" >Creativity machines<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/backlash-grows-against-decision-to-grant-patent-to-ai-system\/#Enabling_policy_environment\" >Enabling policy environment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Backlash grows against decision to grant patent to AI system<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>At first glance, a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/iponline.cipc.co.za\/Publications\/PublishedJournals\/E_Journal_July%202021%20Part%202.pdf\">recently granted South African patent<\/a> relating to a \u201cfood container based on fractal geometry\u201d seems fairly mundane. The innovation in question involves interlocking food containers that are easy for robots to grasp and stack.<\/p>\n<p>On closer inspection, the patent is anything but mundane. That\u2019s because the inventor is not a human being \u2013 it is an artificial intelligence (AI) system called DABUS.<\/p>\n<p>DABUS (which stands for \u201cdevice for the autonomous bootstr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing of unified sentience\u201d) is an AI system created by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/imagination-engines.com\/founder.html\">Stephen Thaler<\/a>, a pioneer in the field of AI and programming. The system simulates human brainstorming and creates new inventions. DABUS is a particular type of AI, often referred to as \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/imagination-engines.com\/cm.html\">creativity machines<\/a>\u201d because they are capable of independent and complex functioning. This differs from everyday AI like Siri, the \u201cvoice\u201d of Apple\u2019s iPhones.<\/p>\n<p>The patent application listing DABUS as the inventor was filed in patent offices around the world, including the US, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. But only South Africa granted the patent (Australia followed suit a few days later after a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipwatchdog.com\/2021\/08\/02\/dabus-scores-win-ai-inventorship-question-australia-court\/id=136304\/\">court judgment<\/a> gave the go-ahead).<\/p>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s decision has received widespread backlash from intellectual property experts. Some have labeled it a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iam-media.com\/law-policy\/south-africa-ai-patent-award\">mistake<\/a>, or an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mathys-squire.com\/insights-and-events\/news\/south-africa-issues-worlds-first-patent-naming-ai-as-inventor\/\">oversight<\/a> by the patent office. However, as a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/law.ukzn.ac.za\/team\/mr-meshandren-naidoo\/\">patent and AI scholar<\/a> whose PhD aims to address the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/7uctg\/\">gaps in patent law<\/a> created by AI inventorship, I suggest that the decision is supported by the government\u2019s policy environment in recent years. This has aimed to increase innovation and views <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> as a way to achieve this.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Creativity_machines\"><\/span>Creativity machines<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Creativity machines can process and critically analyze data, learning from it. This process is known as machine learning. Once the machine learning phase has occurred, the machine is able to \u201cautonomously\u201d create without human intervention. As has been seen in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/how-ai-is-being-used-for-covid-19-vaccine-creation-and-distribution\/\">COVID pandemic<\/a>, as just one example, AI is able to solve problems <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-020-03348-4\">humans were unable to<\/a> \u2013 and also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbestechcouncil\/2019\/10\/03\/are-ai-systems-about-to-outperform-humans\/?sh=2f59905722b3\">much faster<\/a> than people can.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years there have been many kinds of creativity machines. Prior to DABUS, Thaler built another AI which created <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/imagination-engines.com\/history.html\">novel sheet music<\/a>, and which he credited with inventing the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/imagination-engines.com\/history.html\">cross-bristle toothbrush design<\/a>. He filed a patent for the cross-bristle design, and it was granted \u2013 proving AI\u2019s ability to generate truly novel inventions that meet the standards for patents. However, Thaler listed himself, rather than the AI, as the inventor at that time.<\/p>\n<p>When it came to the food container invention by DABUS, Thaler, assisted by Ryan Abbott of the University of Surrey, decided instead to list DABUS as the rightful inventor, as the invention was entirely devised by the AI. This was the start of their push for AI to be recognized as inventors the world over.<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uspto.gov\/\">United States Patent and Trademark Office<\/a> and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epo.org\/\">European Patent Office<\/a> rejected these applications in the formal examination phase. They gave three reasons. First, their respective patent laws only provide for human inventors \u2013 not AI \u2013 as indicated by the use of pronouns such as \u201chim\u201d and \u201cher\u201d in their text. Second, ideas, for the purposes of patents, require the element of \u201cmental conception\u201d \u2013 something of which only a human mind is capable. Finally, inventorship comes with rights, which AI is not legally capable of possessing.<\/p>\n<p>Much to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iam-media.com\/law-policy\/south-africa-ai-patent-award\">surprise of the global community<\/a>, South Africa\u2019s patent office, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cipc.co.za\/za\/\">Companies and Intellectual Property Commission<\/a>\u00a0granted the patent, recognizing DABUS as an inventor. It has not yet explained its reasons for doing so.<\/p>\n<p>This patent was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/iponline.cipc.co.za\/Publications\/PublishedJournals\/E_Journal_July%202021%20Part%202.pdf\">published<\/a> in July 2021 in the South African Patent Journal, with major <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> agencies including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/patently-brilliant-ai-listed-as-inventor-for-first-time-mqj3s38mr\">The Times reporting on the matter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The granting of the DABUS patent in South Africa has received widespread backlash from intellectual property experts. The critics argued that it was the incorrect decision in law, as AI lacks the necessary legal standing to qualify as an inventor. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iam-media.com\/law-policy\/south-africa-ai-patent-award\">Many have argued<\/a> that the grant was simply an oversight on the part of the commission, which has been known in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/researchspace.ukzn.ac.za\/bitstream\/handle\/10413\/19131\/Naidoo_Meshandren_2020.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y\">past to be less than reliable<\/a>. Many also saw this as an indictment of South Africa\u2019s patent procedures, which currently only consist of a formal examination step. This requires a check box sort of evaluation: ensuring that all the relevant forms have been submitted and are duly completed.<\/p>\n<p>Critics feel that if South Africa instead had a substantive search and examination system in place, the DABUS patent application would have been rejected.<\/p>\n<p>I disagree.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enabling_policy_environment\"><\/span>Enabling policy environment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While it is possible that the commission erred in granting the patent, South Africa\u2019s policy environment in recent years suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>The first relevant policy was the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.za\/sites\/default\/files\/gcis_document\/201808\/ippolicy2018-phasei.pdf\">Intellectual Property Policy of the Republic of South Africa Phase I of 2018<\/a>. It marked the beginning of patent reform in the country. Since then, from 2019 to 2021, three other notable instruments have been published: the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dst.gov.za\/images\/2019\/White_paper_web_copyv1.pdf\">Department of Science and Technology\u2019s White Paper on Science, Technology, and Innovation<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.za\/sites\/default\/files\/gcis_document\/202010\/43834gen591.pdf\">the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution<\/a>; and the proposed <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.za\/sites\/default\/files\/gcis_document\/202104\/44389gon206.pdf\">National Data and Cloud Policy in terms of the Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The core message of all these documents is that South Africa\u2019s government wants to increase innovation to solve the country\u2019s socio-economic issues. There is clear worry about issues such as poor innovation levels, lack of funding, and lack of suitable infrastructure which is necessary to really capitalize on the fourth industrial revolution.<\/p>\n<p>Given the policy environment and the vast potential of AI, the granting of the patent makes sense. Perhaps this will turn out to be a strategic masterclass by the South African office which will lead to a much more innovative nation.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/165623\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/165623\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/meshandren-naidoo-1156548\">Meshandren Naidoo<\/a>, PhD Fellow and LexisNexis Legal Content Researcher and Editor, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-kwazulu-natal-1941\">University of KwaZulu-Natal<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/in-a-world-first-south-africa-grants-patent-to-an-artificial-intelligence-system-165623\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/backlash-against-grant-patent-to-ai-system-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Backlash grows against decision to grant patent to AI system&#8221; At first glance, a recently granted South African patent relating to a \u201cfood container based on fractal geometry\u201d seems fairly mundane. The innovation in question involves interlocking food containers that are easy for robots to grasp and stack. On closer inspection, the patent is anything&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":321596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/06\/cyber-4062449_1280-e1622729428242.jpg&signature=6b3a71a408d4023c116fbff2889165f5","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-321595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}