NEWS: Could AI Developers Become *Your* Co-Inventors?

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NEWS: Could AI Developers Become Your Co-Inventors?

By Stewart Myers | July 30, 2025
Read the full article →

:police_car_light: What’s happening?
As inventors increasingly use AI tools to help develop new ideas, a new legal question is emerging: Should the people who build and train these AIs be considered co-inventors — and co-owners — of your patents?

:pushpin: Key Takeaways:

  1. AI itself cannot be an inventor — U.S. patent law only allows natural humans to be named on patents.
  2. Using AI is okay — If a human makes a significant contribution to the invention, it’s still patentable even if AI helped.
  3. But there’s a twist — If someone built a specialized AI to solve a particular problem (like drug design or battery innovation), they may have contributed to the invention’s conception — and could be considered a co-inventor.
  4. This matters — Because co-inventors legally become co-owners. That means an AI developer might end up owning part of your invention, even if you never met them.
  5. General AI tools (like ChatGPT) are still considered non-inventive aids — similar to using software or a microscope — so their developers don’t get inventorship rights.

:brain: Why this matters to you:
If you’re using AI in your invention process — especially advanced, domain-specific tools — be cautious. Understand who built the AI, what it was designed to do, and whether it might trigger inventorship claims. Otherwise, your patent could get tied up in disputes.

:open_book: Read the full article by Stewart Myers, registered U.S. patent agent and former IP attorney:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: ipwatchdog.com/2025/07/30/the-real-danger-of-ai-developers-becoming-unwanted-co-inventors/id=190772