Can Ideas Created by AI Be Patented? Government and Engineering Community Hold First Discussion

Launch of the Intellectual Property Strategy Forum

Discussion on Patent Protection Standards for AI-Driven Inventions

Sung Yoonmo: "In the Era of Technological Hegemony, IP Is a Core National Strategic Asset"

How far can a person secure a patent if they file for a patent on an idea generated by artificial intelligence (AI)? As AI becomes increasingly widespread across all aspects of research and development, a new intellectual property (IP) issue has emerged: how to distinguish between human and AI contributions. In this context, the government, industry, and academia have begun relevant discussions.

The Intellectual Property Office and the National Academy of Engineering of Korea announced on July 27 that they have launched a public-private collaboration platform called the "Intellectual Property Strategy Forum" and held the inaugural session of the forum.

Sung Yoonmo, Chairman of the Intellectual Property Strategy Forum, is delivering the opening speech at the 1st Intellectual Property Strategy Forum on the 27th. Provided by the National Academy of Engineering of Korea

The first forum addressed the theme: "To What Extent Should Technology Developed with AI Be Protected by Patents?" Discussions centered on how much of the output generated using AI can be recognized as human invention, and how to determine the scope of human creative contribution.

Paik Eun-ok, Vice President of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, served as moderator, while Park Seongpil, Dean of the Graduate School of Future Strategy at KAIST, gave the keynote presentation. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Lee Sanguk, Professor at Hanyang University; Kim Kyunghoon, AI Safety Leader at Kakao; Lim Woohyung, President of LG AI Research Institute; and Yang Jaeseok, Director General of the Patent Examination Planning Bureau at the Intellectual Property Office. The panel discussed the direction of patent protection for inventions utilizing AI.

Sung Yoonmo, former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and Chairman of the Forum, stated, "In an era of technological hegemony in fields such as AI and semiconductors, intellectual property is a core strategic asset that determines a nation's survival. The forum will serve as a bridge connecting voices from the industrial field to effective policymaking."

The forum will be held three to four times a year in a breakfast meeting format, and the discussion results will be published in issue papers to serve as foundational materials for the formulation of the government's IP policies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.