Predictions for 2018 Technology Trends show that we will see: (i) More use of Narrow Artificial Intelligence; and (ii) Artificial Intelligence will have an effect on Businesses and Intellectual Property (IP) Law; however, a human or Business Owner will still need to be identified, in charge, and legally responsible. Business Owners need to consider the necessary protections for these advancements.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems that aims to create machines that are intelligent (programmed to think on their own like humans and copying how a human acts). A machine or program that is able to independently learn, translate, perceive, and reason are aspects of AI. Most of the AI we see today is considered Narrow AI (non-sentient or non-feeling, and focused on one narrow task) in which the programmer is in direct control of every output. There is also some development (but much less known) of processes with machines with strong AI (also referred to as Artificial General Intelligence which is a true artificial intelligent system that can learn on its own). Machines with strong AI are expected to have logical reasoning and innovative thinking abilities.
In the Gartner, Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2018 (October 3, 2017 article, contributor, Kasey Panetta quoting David Cleary, see full site below) Cleary stated, “AI techniques are evolving rapidly and organizations will need to invest significantly in skills, processes and tools to successfully exploit these techniques and build AI-enhanced systems”. Further, Gartner believes “Over the next few years, virtually every app, application and service will incorporate some level of AI.” (sited in The Top 10 Technology Trends for 2018 article by David Weldon, published October 6, 2017, 6:30am EDT, see full site below). In David Weldon’s article, he predicted that the 2017 focus on AI in the IT world, will continue into 2018. In the Gartner article, the prediction is based on the “steady increase in inquiry calls, which makes it clear that interest is growing and a recent Gartner survey showed that 59% of organizations are still gathering information to build their AI strategies, while the remainder (61%) have already made progress in piloting or adopting AI solutions.” We will probably see some of this AI in many of the new exciting 2018 business technologies. (See full site below).
Consider Apple’s highly discussed Face ID technology, self-driving cars, Siri/Alexa/Google Assistant, Chef Watson (IBM’s Cognitive Cooking Cortana), and Microsoft’s own AI assistant (pre-loaded on Windows computers and Microsoft smartphones, as all these technologies use some form of what is considered AI. Some other examples of AI that we will see further development on in the near future are: computers that play chess / video games; purchase prediction technologies; fraud detection; news generation ; and security surveillance. (See: Internet Article, Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Rights, updated: August 21, 2017, article by Intepat Team, (See full site below).
It will be interesting to see where technologies lead us in 2018 and the implications and protections that Business Owners will need to consider from these technology advancements. One aspect to consider is the effect of AI on IP laws. Our current legal system does not yet address issues arising from new developments in AI (such as answering questions like “who is the owner/author of the artwork, program, recipe, or even the book made by a machine using AI?”). Predictions for the answers to these questions are consistent with current analysis of computer programs and the owner/author would be the owner or controller of the program and/or the machine hosting the program. We will see development in IP laws to coincide with more investment and development in AI to ensure such investment and development is protected by IP laws. Since patents and copyrights are currently granted to the inventors or authors/artists, our IP laws will need to consider non-human innovation or creation. It may be that when the programmer is in direct control of the output, the IP rights can be granted to the human operating the machines/computers. It does seem that a human author/creator will still need to be defined and found to grant the IP rights to and to assign the appropriate legal responsibilities. (Also from the internet article sited above by Intepat Team, August, 2017 with full site below).
For more on the topic of technology trends, including artificial intelligence and intellectual property, please visit www.navigantlaw.com and read the blog articles regarding these subjects and watch for future IP, Technology, and AI blogs/articles on Waltz, Palmer & Dawson’s website, webinars and e-Newsletters.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY and On-Line Sources:
Internet Article, Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Rights, updated: 21 August 2017, Article by Intepat Team, at :https://www.intepat.com/blog/intellectual-property/artificial-intelligence-ipr/?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=View-Original);
Newsroom Press Release, Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2018, https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3812063;
The Top 10 Tech Trends for 2018, Posted 10/17/2017, 6:30am EDT, By David Weldon, http://www.analyticsearches.com/wps-top-tech-trends-for-2018.