{
  "id": 2347284,
  "title": "When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/when-ai-designs-a-drug-who-gets-the-credit",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-21T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1142627/when-ai-designs-a-drug-who-gets-the-credit/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Insilico Medicine, a biotech firm, recently utilized its AI platform to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis. The company claimed in a press release that the molecule was \"discovered by\" its generative AI, signaling the rapid progress of AI in drug design. However, when filing for a patent to protect the new chemical structure, Insilico only named five humans as the \"inventors,\" excluding the AI. This discrepancy highlights a peculiar aspect of intellectual-property law, as it is humans, and not AI, who can claim credit for an invention. In a pro bono case brought by Ryan Abbott, a partner at Brown, Neri, Smith & Khan, AI called DABUS was named the inventor of a novel food container. However, the US appeals court in Washington, DC, ruled in 2022 that an inventor must be an individual, meaning a human. Consequently, machines cannot be inventors. Patent attorney Sarah Korman, now chief business officer at Isomorphic Labs, emphasized that our laws will need to adapt to keep pace with AI. While AI can indeed invent things, the key question going forward may be whether a human contributed sufficiently to be named an inventor. Abbott fears that if AI-generated drug outputs are excluded from patent protection, it could hinder future drug development. Currently, the US Patent Office appears to take a neutral stance, classifying AI as a mere tool, like a calculator, and not requiring mention in patent applications. However, pioneering AI drug companies still ensure human involvement, documenting their processes meticulously. The question remains: should pushing a button count as being an inventor?",
  "summary": "When the biotech company Insilico Medicine used its computer models to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis, it enthusiastically claimed in a press release that the molecule had been “discovered by” its generative AI platform. Insilico leads a pack of companies using AI to rapidly come up with drug ideas humans might never think…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MIT Tech Review Biotech",
        "title": "When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/when-ai-designs-a-drug-who-gets-the-credit-2353150",
        "published": "2026-08-21T09:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}