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When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?
BusinessFriday, August 21, 2026 at 10:31 AM

When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?

Source: MIT Technology Review
Curated Summary

The article explores the legal and ethical questions around AI-generated drug inventions, focusing on a patent dispute involving Insilico Medicine's AI-discovered molecule for pulmonary fibrosis.

It highlights that US patent law currently recognizes only humans as inventors, as established in the DABUS case where an AI was denied inventor status.

The piece quotes patent attorney Sarah Korman and discusses how laws will likely need to evolve as AI becomes more autonomous in discovery.

Ryan Abbott, who brought the DABUS test case, warns that misattributed inventors could invalidate AI-related patents.

Overall, the story underscores the growing tension between technological capability and existing intellectual-property frameworks.

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via MIT Technology Review

#ai#patents#biotech#drug-discovery#ip-law

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