Investments in artificial intelligence (AI)-related startups have tripled in the past three years and a more than a 300 percent increase in investment in AI by business is anticipated in 2017. AI development and deployment raise legal issues that do not fit neatly into one traditional bucket. To help clients meet this challenge our firm has established a firmwide cross-disciplinary AI initiative to advise and support clients that are or may be developing or incorporating AI technology in their businesses and products.
The K&L Gates AI initiative harnesses the global experience of our lawyers in diverse practices and enables the firm to help clients capitalize on a broad array of technologies and applications, from process optimization, custom controls, and automation to robotics, machine learning, predictive analytics, computer vision, and Internet of Things (IoT) in such areas as smart-cars and autonomous vehicles, home/service robots, unmanned aircraft, and intelligent tutoring and online learning systems.
Our Experience
K&L Gates counsels a range of clients who are utilizing and/or exploring artificial intelligence technology to enhance their business. Our clients use or invest in drone technology, aerial filming, data analytics in the education, energy, entertainment and government sectors, among others. We are experienced in cross-border as well as national transactions, complex and routine cases covering a wide range of technologies and industries. Furthermore, we are positioned to provide IP counsel throughout the United States, Europe, the UK, and the Asia Pacific region.
Our team will comprise lawyers from across K&L Gates’ global platform, including those in the intellectual property, policy and regulatory, financial services, corporate/M&A, emerging growth, and insurance coverage practices, among others. Additionally, we have a partner who was the former chairman of the US House of Rep. Science Committee having jurisdiction over most of the agencies that would fund research or help develop standards for technology and AI.
We have a deep appreciation for our clients’ concerns, especially across the newest technologies and potential unknowns which challenge our client’s business objectives.
The launch of the AI initiative follows the firm’s announcement earlier this month of a $10 million gift to Carnegie Mellon University for the establishment of the “K&L Gates Endowment for Ethics and Computational Technologies” to study the ethical issues posed by artificial intelligence. The gift allows for the creation of new faculty chairs, a number of doctoral student Presidential Fellowships, and a biennial conference in the area of computational technologies as well as an undergraduate scholarship.
To learn more about Carnegie Mellon University and its School of Computer Science, visit their website at: https://www.scs.cmu.edu/.
Click here to listen to a segment regarding the endowment that aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.
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