154 | 🆓 😇 Free Online AI Ethics Course

In today’s Brainyacts:

1. DABUS, the inventor (sorta)

2. Free AI Ethics course

3. Anthropic to pay for copyright infringement cases along settlements and more AI model news

4. A $1 Chevy Tahoe and other related content

👋 to new subscribers!

To read previous editions, click here.

Lead Memo

💡⚠️ Who (or What) Can Be an Inventor: The Case of DABUS

Dr. Stephen Thaler and DABUS

Dr. Stephen Thaler, a pioneering figure in the field of artificial intelligence, created an AI machine named DABUS (Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience). DABUS is unique in the landscape of AI and its applications in invention. Unlike typical AI systems used as tools to address specific problems or trained on data relevant to a predetermined invention, DABUS operates with a remarkable level of autonomy. It was designed not to solve a particular problem but to generate inventions independently.

The Role of DABUS in Invention

What sets DABUS apart is its capability to identify the novelty and salience of its inventions without human intervention. This aspect challenges the conventional role of AI in the patenting process, where AI is usually an instrument in the hands of human inventors. In the case of DABUS, the machine itself is credited with the creative process, marking a significant departure from traditional norms in both technology and intellectual property law. In fact, Dr Thaler believes that Dabus is a "conscious and sentient form of machine intelligence.”

Patent Applications and the Recognition of DABUS

Dr. Thaler embarked on an ambitious legal journey, applying for patents for the inventions created by DABUS in various jurisdictions, including the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and others through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). In these applications, Dr. Thaler explicitly named DABUS as the sole inventor, with himself as the applicant based on his ownership of DABUS.

This move by Dr. Thaler was not just a test of the capabilities of DABUS but also a challenge to the existing legal frameworks governing intellectual property. By asserting that an AI system can be the sole inventor, Thaler's applications have forced legal systems worldwide to confront the evolving role of AI in creative and inventive processes.

So what has DABUS invented? A food container and a flashing light that attracts enhanced attention in high-stress situations. Interestingly, in both, it used the mathematics of fractals.

Significance and Implications

The case of DABUS is pivotal in the discourse on AI and intellectual property. It raises fundamental questions about the nature of invention and creativity in the age of AI. As AI systems become more sophisticated and autonomous, the legal definitions of inventorship, creativity, and ownership in the context of patent law are being reexamined. Thaler's applications do not just seek legal recognition for AI-generated inventions but also provoke a broader conversation about the future of innovation and the role of AI in shaping that future.

Recent coverage on this topic includes analysis of the UK Supreme Court’s ruling this week that AI cannot be a patent 'inventor.’

If you want a fantastic podcast on this, check out the one below.

Spotlight

🆓 😇 Free Online AI Ethics Course

This is a massive collection of seminars and talks on the topic of AI Ethics.

It focuses on three main topics:

1. The Intersection of Data & AI

2. Ethical Implications of AI

3. Emerging Governance Frameworks

If you want to get a global perspective on how different governments and organizations are thinking through these topics, here is a terrific resource.

AI Model Notables

► Anthropic just updated its commercial terms of service. They will help users if they get sued for copyright infringement. And they will not only defend customers from copyright infringement claims but also pay for settlements. These new terms go into effect on January 1st, 2024. This is a pattern led by the likes of Microsoft, Google, and other companies.

► LexisNexis to Offer Free Lexis+ AI Access to Law Students in 2024 (get ‘em hooked early! 😉 )

► Allen & Overy rolls out AI contract negotiation tool in challenge to legal industry.

► Rocket Lawyer Releases Generative AI Tool, to Help Business Startups, Built in Collaboration with Google Cloud.

► For Microsoft and OpenAI, after a year in the ‘hype cycle,’ the Copilot corporate spending boom is just getting started.

►ChatGPT now lets you archive chats (but you still cannot search them 😡!

► Well now, researchers say that Google Gemini is not even as good as GPT-3.5 Turbo.

News You Can Use:

➭ Attention legal AI startups: EU to expand support for AI startups to tap its supercomputers for model training

➭ Dangers of releasing ChatBots – they might create legal binding contracts to sell your products or services at ridiculously low prices. Like a new Chevy Tahoe for $1

➭ GPT and other AI models can’t analyze an SEC filing, researchers find BUT this shows the limitations of prompting more than the models. Training or finetuning would likely improve performances while still not making them perfect. But is any human perfect?

➭ The American Journalism Project launched our new Product & AI Studio, a new program to explore the smart application of emerging technologies in local journalism.

➭ Morgan Lewis to Shape Thomson Reuters AI Products Through New Partnership

➭ Pulitzer-winning authors join OpenAI, Microsoft copyright lawsuit

➭ Singapore announced the latest iteration of its national AI strategy

➭ Chile issued guidelines for public sector use of AI

➭ US Senators Offer Bipartisan Bill on AI Risk for Financial Markets

Who is the author, Josh Kubicki?

Some of you know me. Others do not. Here is a short intro. I am a lawyer, entrepreneur, and teacher. I have transformed legal practices and built multi-million dollar businesses. Not a theorist, I am an applied researcher and former Chief Strategy Officer, recognized by Fast Company and Bloomberg Law for my unique work. Through this newsletter, I offer you pragmatic insights into leveraging AI to inform and improve your daily life in legal services.