Imagine If: Rethinking IP for Innovation & AI

Since current intellectual property laws are ill-equipped to protect neural network architectures and training algorithms, there’s a growing number of companies increasingly relying on trade secrets. But is this for the best? Many people argue that this undermines transparency and contradicts the patent system’s fundamental purpose of encouraging technological disclosure, and the lack of transparency itself could invite further regulations. There is of course valid logic behind this behavior. The extensive disclosure required in a patent application poses a significant risk, especially when the innovation, such as an algorithm, is relatively easy to replicate, and the pace of technological advancement in the domain far outstrips the slow-moving bureaucracy of patent offices. These challenges raise the question of whether the AI revolution calls f ...