8th WIPO Conversation Wraps Up, Igniting Discussions on Generative AI's Impact on Intellectual Property

September 22, 2023

More than 2,000 industry experts and global AI and IP professionals from 160 countries converged at the 8th WIPO Conversation on Generative AI and Intellectual Property on September 20-21, 2023, to unpack the impact of Generative AI on IP in professional, policy-making, and regulatory settings.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang kicked off the Conversation, underlining the importance of the discourse in spanning practical IP office technology and ethical concerns, as well as addressing how generative AI fosters creative business models and global innovation.

The issues at hand range from the straightforward and practical – how to harness the technology for IP office efficiency and customer engagement – to very complex and difficult issues connected to ethics and philosophy. During these two days, we will delve into the fascinating ways in which Generative AI is sparking new business models, and enabling innovators, artists, creators, and entrepreneurs from all parts of the world to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Mr. Tang said.

Mr. Gary Marcus, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at the New York University and author of the book ‘Rebooting AI’ delivered a keynote address.

We cannot afford not to regulate AI, but we cannot afford regulatory capture either. We have to get this one right. We don't have a lot of time to waste.

Mr. Marcus said.

The agenda for the two-day event focused on emerging trends in generative AI, how generative AI and large language models foster AI-driven creativity, how machine-learning models are trained, the ownership and authorship of any works generated using AI and its impact on intellectual property (IP) rights, and the rapidly evolving landscape of creativity and innovation.

There were also open discussions on the exchange of current practices between IP Offices and Member States in the field of generative AI where representatives from WIPO Member States, enterprises, AI creators, and the private sector aired their views.

Overall, the event was a significant step forward in the ongoing dialogue among stakeholders, demonstrating a shared commitment to building a future in which generative AI fosters innovation.

It also underscored the pressing need for responsible regulation that supports creativity while protecting IP rights in the age of AI, challenging the global IP community to rise to the occasion.

Background

The WIPO Conversation is a forum to engage with and facilitate discussion about the impact of frontier technologies on IP, including artificial intelligence. WIPO began this series of conversations as a way of convening a diverse group of stakeholders to exchange information, build knowledge and support well-informed policy choices in an area that is rapidly reshaping our economies and societies. If you would like to receive the most up-to-date information, please get in touch to subscribe to the Frontier Technologies mailing list.