Use of Artificial Intelligence in Academic Inventor Interactions
By Joshua Goldberg, Co-Managing Partner
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by academic inventors is increasing,
particularly for drafting disclosures, summarizing data, and generating preliminary
technical narratives. While these tools can improve efficiency, they introduce risks
related to confidentiality and accuracy.
Uploading unpublished research or invention details into public AI systems may
compromise confidentiality and jeopardize both patent rights and future publication
opportunities. Generally, I consider the uploading of any proprietary information to a
public AI as a public disclosure, after which the invention has been donated to the public
and the possibility of obtaining patent rights is no longer available. It is imperative for
universities to establish clear policies restricting such use of AI to approved, secure
systems; otherwise, it is likely the rights to valuable technologies will be lost.
Additionally, AI-generated content, or contributions made by AI, must be carefully
reviewed. Patent law requires human conception, which cannot be provided by an AI
tool. Overreliance on AI may result in superficially comprehensive but substantively
weak disclosures.
