US patent office says generative AI is equivalent to other tools in inventors' belts

While generative AI systems cannot be considered inventors under US patent laws, the US Patent and Trademark Office has updated its guidelines on how they can be used in the process of creating innovations. The agency's director, John Squires, said in a notice obtained by Reuters that the USPTO deems genAI to be "analogous" to other tools that inventors might use in their process, including lab equipment, software and research databases.

"AI systems, including generative AI and other computational models, are instruments used by human inventors," Squires wrote. "They may provide services and generate ideas, but they remain tools used by the human inventor who conceived the claimed invention."

The notice [PDF], which is set to be published in the Federal Register on November 28, notes that there's no separate process for evaluating whether an AI-assisted invention qualifies for ...