I’m sorry Dave I’m afraid I invented that: Australian court finds AI systems can be recognised under patent law

Federal court judge says allowing artificial intelligence systems, as well as humans, to be inventors is consistent with promoting innovation'

An artificial intelligence system is capable of being an inventor" under Australian patent law, the federal court has ruled, in a decision that could have wider intellectual property implications.

University of Surrey professor Ryan Abbott has launched more than a dozen patent applications across the globe, including in the UK, US, New Zealand and Australia, on behalf of US-based Dr Stephen Thaler. They seek to have Thaler's artificial intelligence device known as Dabus (a device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience) listed as the inventor.