WIPO Launches Virtual Exhibition on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property

Geneva, September 18, 2020
PR/2020/862

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today launched "WIPO: AI and IP, A Virtual Experience," an immersive online exhibition using the latest 360 degree scanning technology to foster a more-comprehensive understanding of the relationship between IP policy and AI and the questions facing policymakers.

The exhibition is the first of its kind at WIPO and offers visitors an interactive opportunity to discover this radical new technology, while exploring some of the many ways AI promises to transform culture and industry.

“This exhibition is part of a larger process of WIPO’s engagement with AI, where we are having a conversation among many stakeholders to explore and develop the questions arising from the impact of AI on IP policy,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. "We hope users find the exhibition both educational and entertaining."

The exhibition was unveiled during the Sept. 16-18 WIPO Conference on the Global Digital Content Market, which explored the latest worldwide developments in the creative industries sector brought about by digital technologies such as AI.

The exhibition is hosted virtually inside WIPO’s premises, including the WIPO library that houses some of the world's earliest historical IP publications, which are presented in 360-degree footage that serves as the background for the AI displays.

The exhibition focuses on examples of the use of AI in art, music, technology and entertainment, and asks a number of questions that allow the visitor to relate to underlying issues for the existing IP systems. Exhibits include art created by humanoid robotic artist Ai-Da, a song that won an international AI Song Contest and a game that helps a neural network recognize doodles.

WIPO will also hold a series of special events that will explore some of the issues in greater detail and provide a live interaction with some of the exhibits.

The exhibition will be open for viewing from September 18, 2020 until December 18, 2020.

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly driving important developments in technology and business. It is being employed across a range of industries, from telecommunications to autonomous vehicles.

Increasing stores of big data and advances in affordable high computing power are fueling AI’s growth. AI has a significant impact on the creation, production and distribution of economic and cultural goods and services. Since one of the main aims of the IP system is to stimulate innovation and creativity in the economic and cultural systems, AI intersects with IP in a number of ways.

In September 2019, WIPO started the Conversation on IP and Al bringing together Member States and other stakeholders to discuss the impact of Al on IP policy, with a view to collectively formulating the questions that policymakers need to ask.

In December 2019, WIPO started a public consultation process on AI and IP policy, inviting feedback on an issues paper designed to help define the most-pressing questions likely to face IP policy makers as AI increases in importance. The revised issues paper was the basis of the second session of the WIPO Conversation on IP and Al in July 2020, which was a virtual meeting attended by over 2000 people in more than 130 countries.