NEWS: Could AI Developers Become Your Co-Inventors?
By Stewart Myers | July 30, 2025
Read the full article →
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?
Key Takeaways:
- AI itself cannot be an inventor — U.S. patent law only allows natural humans to be named on patents.
- Using AI is okay — If a human makes a significant contribution to the invention, it’s still patentable even if AI helped.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Read the full article by Stewart Myers, registered U.S. patent agent and former IP attorney:
ipwatchdog.com/2025/07/30/the-real-danger-of-ai-developers-becoming-unwanted-co-inventors/id=190772