Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive AI: Is There a Role for Patent Protection?

AI and sustainability today have gained central stage in the academic debate. AI development and rapid spreading have become one of the hottest discussed issues. AI models and systems can be implemented in all economic sectors, from pure science to finance, they can take the form of sophisticated weapons or biometric control systems or be simpler and (apparently innocuous) items, at disposal of consumers’ every day’s life: such as a chatbot. Much in the same way, sustainability has become a new mantra, permeating every area of life, policy and law. As for the regulation of AI, several legal proposals at the EU level have emerged to promote sustainability goals. But besides being both “trendy” topics to discuss upon, AI and sustainability also share a second feature. They are both very vague terms, often used by scholars to address different technological instruments or different sustainability goals. The concept of AI is very broad, ; the Regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AI Act) defines it as a ‘“family of technologies’” that brings economic, environmental and social benefits as it ensures improved forecasting, optimization of operations and resource allocation and customization of available digital solutions providing competitive advantages for individuals and effects positive for the whole community. this paper assumes that it is mandatory today that AI develops in a sustainable way: meaning in a way that does not hamper human beings’ right to health, safety, privacy, image, dignity, education, while at the same time protects them from all types of discrimination.