Season 5, Episode 23. AI, IP, and the Public Good

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming central to areas such as public health, education, agriculture, and climate resilience. In this context, the role of the State is coming into sharper focus, particularly in how governments can shape innovation to serve broad social goals. Intellectual property frameworks, often seen as tools for exclusivity, are being repurposed to support inclusive access and public benefit.

This special episode of Intangiblia was recorded as part of my participation in the workshop “The Role of the State in Advancing Equitable Access to AI,” taking place in Oxford in September 2025. Organized by Sumaya Nur Adan and Joanna Wiaterek, and supported by the Future of Life Institute, the event brings together legal scholars, policymakers, and technologists to examine how States can ensure that the benefits of AI are equitably shared.

The episode explores five legal and policy mechanisms that are already influencing how AI is governed through intellectual property. It discusses Canada’s ongoing efforts to map and license Crown-owned patents under a broader national strategy. It examines Singapore’s copyright reforms, which have introduced clear legal exceptions to support AI model training. The conversation also includes examples of culturally aware AI development, such as the open-source Falcon model in the UAE and community-led Indigenous data initiatives in New Zealand. It looks at how public interest licensing and voluntary IP pools are evolving in fields beyond health, and how state-led initiatives, such as public procurement and open research mandates, are being used to align technological development with social needs.

The episode also reviews recent legal rulings in the United States that have tested the limits of fair use in AI training. These include the 2024 decision involving OpenAI, the 2025 dismissal of claims against Meta, and the Bartz v. Anthropic case presided over by Judge Alsup, which underscored the difference between statistical pattern recognition and direct reproduction of copyrighted works.

Rather than focusing solely on restrictions or incentives, the discussion emphasizes how IP law can serve as a strategic governance tool. By adapting legal frameworks to current challenges, States can guide AI innovation toward inclusive outcomes and help ensure that technological advancement remains aligned with the public good.

Women Who Built The Modern World Intangiblia™

What if the modern world looked different because the credits finally did too? We set out to restore names to the ideas that power daily life, sharing sixteen stories of women whose discoveries span DNA’s double helix, nuclear fission, pulsars, parity violation, microbial genetics, and the X/Y blueprint of sex determination. From there we move through materials and medicine—Kevlar’s lifesaving strength, Scotchgard’s spill-proof chemistry, a windshield wiper that made storms drivable, a leprosy treatment unlocked by elegant esterification, and a radical shift from trial-and-error to rational drug design that led to antivirals, leukemia therapies, and organ transplantation.The creative and communications revolutions get their due, too. Hear how an actress-engineer, Hedy Lamarr, co-invented frequency hopping that later underpinned Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Track Monopoly’s roots to Elizabeth Magie’s Landlord’s Game and its original lesson about monopoly power. Step into a courtroom where Margaret Keane proves authorship by painting under oath. Rewind to Alice Guy Blaché, who turned flickering experiments into narrative cinema and ran one of America’s earliest studios. Each story reveals how intellectual property—patents, copyrights, and attribution—can either tether ideas to their makers or let them drift into anonymity.Threaded through every segment is a practical takeaway: curiosity starts discovery, precision proves it, and recognition completes it. We name the Matilda effect and show how institutions, markets, and timing shaped who got the prize and who got footnoted. By linking breakthroughs to their true authors, we build a more accurate map of progress and a wider on-ramp for future innovators. If these stories surprised you, share them, subscribe for more plain-talk IP, and leave a review with the one name you think should be taught in every classroom.Send a textCheck out "Protection for the Inventive Mind" – available now on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. The views and opinions expressed (by the host and guest(s)) in this podcast are strictly their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the entities with which they may be affiliated. This podcast should in no way be construed as promoting or criticizing any particular government policy, institutional position, private interest or commercial entity. Any content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.
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