How AI Will Redefine The Way We Think About Ownership

The Current State of Artificial Intelligence Within United States Intellectual Property Law & Recommendations for the Future

Rachel Groberman
The Startup

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Given the rapid improvement of artificial intelligence in the last decade, it is unsurprising that a large amount of public discourse has focused on anthropomorphizing these AI systems. It is natural, as AI-enabled robots and devices begin to act more human, that we question whether we need to extend these items the same rights we grant ourselves. For example, while we never question the morality of forcing Google to scour the web for answers to obscure questions, psychologists have begun to ponder the consequences of children interacting with Amazon Alexas without saying “please” and “thank you”¹. Artificial intelligence is at an interesting point in its development; while it has not yet reached the science fiction-esque intelligence boom known as singularity, it is undeniably encroaching on previously human-dominated activities. As such, it is essential to think about where AI fits within our current societal constructs and how these historic frameworks need to be reevaluated through the lens of the rapidly updating technology.

Intellectual property law is an example of an old institution that will need reevaluation for a…

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Rachel Groberman
The Startup

MIT ’20 cs + media studies || @rachelgr99 on twitter