Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Policy

Intellectual property (IP) systems have been designed to incentivize human innovation and creation. Until very recently such innovation and creation was one of the defining characteristics of the human species.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to emerge as a general-purpose technology with widespread applications throughout the economy and society, this poses fundamental questions that sit at the heart of the existing IP systems. Does AI innovation and creation need IP incentives? How should the value of human invention and creation be balanced against AI innovation and creation? Does the advent of AI require any changes to the existing IP frameworks?

WIPO provides a multi-stakeholder forum to advance the understanding of the IP issues involved in the development of AI applications throughout the economy and society and its significant impact on the creation, production and distribution of economic and cultural goods and services.

WIPO AI and IP - A Virtual Experience

Watch the archived version of the Exhibition

Archived version

The WIPO Conversation on IP and AI

WIPO is leading a Conversation on IP and AI, bringing together Member States and other stakeholders to discuss the impact of Al on IP.

WIPO is currently prioritizing some of the issues and developing preliminary considerations to questions raised for IP policy by AI in respect of these prioritized issues. WIPO will publish these preliminary considerations in due course for consideration of its Member States and other stakeholders.

The Fourth Session of the WIPO Conversation on IP and AI will take place in 2021.The date will be announced in due course.

Information on previous sessions of the WIPO Conversation on IP and AI

Summary of Second and Third Sessions of WIPO Conversation is now available

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AI and IP Strategy Clearing House

AI has become a strategic capability for many governments across the globe. Strategies for the development of AI capacity and AI regulatory measures are being adopted with increasing frequency. WIPO has begun to collate the main government instruments of relevance to AI and IP with the aid of the Member States. Member States are invited to inform WIPO about any updates in their policies.

Member states

Policy type

Note: These documents are posted online in the form and in the languages in which they are received. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the World Intellectual Property Organization or its Member States.

WIPO, AI and IP, A Virtual Experience (archived)

The online exhibition, "WIPO: AI and IP, A Virtual Experience" held from September 2020 to March 2021 sought to foster a wider understanding of the relationship between IP Policy and AI and focused on examples of the use of AI in art, music, technology and entertainment.

Watch the archived version of the Exhibition