‘It was only a matter of time’ before an AI system was a named inventor ‘It was only a matter of time’ before an AI system was a named inventor Share Whilst the news that an AI system has been named as an inventor is world-first, it will create a fast-moving “ripple effect”, according to this innovations executive. Dr Stephen Thaler, who filed the patent request, is the inventor of the Device for Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS), an AI system that has envisioned inventions entirely of its own accord. Used by Professor Ryan Abbott and his team at the University of Surrey, DABUS received the patent for a food container that improves grip and heat transfer in food.