Federal Judge Skeptical That AI Can Be Named as Patent Inventor

A Virginia district court judge appears ready to reject arguments from a computer scientist who is challenging the patent office’s view that artificial intelligence systems can’t be named as a patent inventor.

Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia told a lawyer for Stephen Thaler that he faced an uphill battle Tuesday, signaling she was inclined to decide the case in favor of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The case poses a test on how to deal with inventions created by AI. A government lawyer argued that expanding the concept of an ...