| Google DeepMind and BioNTech's newly launched AI lab assistants underscore how AI could accelerate scientific discoveries but also raise a host of thorny questions: If an AI lab assistant makes an important discovery – say a drug that can cure a lethal disease – who should receive the patent: the person who developed the AI, the person who instructed the AI, the AI itself or a combination of all three? And if such a discovery can be made in a day or even minutes, at a fraction of the current cost, do we need to rethink the whole economic model underlying drug discovery and prescription drug pricing and ensure that the patent system grants early and fair access to people around the globe? As AI accelerates scientific progress and patent creation, the clash between the human right to benefit from scientific progress and its application (the human right to science) and the right for creators to protect their work is intensifying. How can we design future protection models that balance innovation, access, and fairness in a rapidly evolving technological landscape? That is the main question that will be posed during a panel discussion which will be moderated by The Innovator’s Editor-in-Chief at the invite-only annual summit of The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) on Oct. 9-11. | 
