U.S. Patent Office Prohibits Use of Artificial Intelligence Applications Such As ChatGPT Among Their Workforce
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is at the forefront of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its operations, yet it has imposed a temporary ban on the use of generative AI tools due to concerns about bias, unpredictability, and malicious behavior.
Innovators within the USPTO are leveraging AI to better understand its capabilities and limitations, and to prototype AI-powered solutions. Patent examiners are using AI tools to help with the examination of millions of legal documents each year, with features like More Like This Document (MLTD) and Similarity Search in the Patents End-to-End (PE2E) Search tool.
Despite this forward-thinking approach, government policies regarding the use of generative AI are slow in adoption. Many agencies, including the USPTO, lack sufficient funds or talent to develop their own tools. This gap has led to the ban on AI tools like ChatGPT, as outlined by USPTO Chief Technology Officer Jamie Holcombe in a memo to Patent Office employees.
However, the ban does not mean that the Patent Office is ignoring AI. In fact, the USPTO is committed to pursuing innovation and bringing AI capabilities to the office in a responsible way. The Patent Office's press secretary allows USPTO employees to use generative AI tools within an internal testing environment.
Scott Beliveau, the USPTO's Branch Chief of Advanced Analytics, has also prohibited the use of generative AI tools in his office. Beliveau's office is taking steps to ensure the responsible use of AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), by banning their use while exploring ways to bring LLM capabilities to the agency.
The USPTO, along with the Department of Defense, are considered forward-thinking compared to many other agencies in their approach to AI. The Patent Office has been working on AI-related issues for several years, having rolled out its own internal search tool.
The USPTO acknowledges the need to cabin the risks arising from the use of AI in practice before the USPTO. It is committed to maximizing AI's benefits and distributing them broadly, while also recognizing the need for technical mitigations and human governance to manage these risks.
Recently, multiple government agencies published reports on their use of AI, but the results weren't great, indicating slow adoption across the board. The Department of Energy, in charge of America's nuclear weapons, expressed concern about a lack of graphics cards.
As the USPTO continues to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, it remains dedicated to fostering innovation while ensuring the responsible and ethical use of these powerful technologies.
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