This Week in Washington IP: Securing U.S. Leadership in Emerging Compute Technologies, Managing the Risks of AI, and Incorporating Commercial Drones Into U.S. Airspace

This week in Washington IP news, the Senate Aviation Safety Subcommittee takes a look at incorporating unmanned aerial systems more fully into the U.S. national airspace, while the full Senate Commerce Committee explores how to maintain U.S. leadership in emerging compute technologies. Over in the House of Representatives, the House Science Committee focuses on the risks that must be managed as artificial intelligence (AI) systems become more highly developed. Elsewhere, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hosts the latest public meeting of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and the American Enterprise Institute hosts a half-day event on Tuesday featuring multiple expert panels discussing topics at the intersection of technology and government.

Monday, September 26

Brookings Institution 

Emerging Technologies and the Future of Work in Africa

At 11:00 AM on Monday, online video webinar.

Underemployment for young populations across Africa has been a major issue for policymakers in African countries in recent years, especially as the population throughout the continent has been rapidly increasing. Emerging technologies supporting the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can greatly increase the economic opportunities for this growing class of young workers, but questions remain as to the extent to which African nations will be able to adopt these technologies and whether such tech adoption will exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities felt across sub-Saharan Africa. This event will feature a presentation on a recent report on 4IR technologies and the future of jobs in Africa by the report’s authors, including Louise Fox, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative; and Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative, Professor and Executive Director, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, and Distinguished Fellow, Stanford University. Following that presentation will be a discussion on key policy options for African countries with Justice Tei Mensah, Economist, Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region, World Bank; and moderated by Shanta Devarajan, Professor of the Practice of Development, Georgetown University.

Tuesday, September 27 

American Enterprise Institute 

Digital Platforms and American Life: A Conference on Technology and Government

At 1:00 PM on Tuesday in AEI, Auditorium, 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Online digital platforms have become central to our modern lives, and most of these platforms are controlled by Big Tech firms that enjoy unmatched marketplace dominance. This half-day event hosted by American Enterprise Institute will explore issues unique to this current stage of the Information Age. A first panel discussing the future of content moderation online will include Christine Rosen, Senior Fellow, AEI; John Samples, Vice President, Cato Institute; Bret Swanson, Nonresident Senior Fellow, AEI; and moderated by Yuval Levin, Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies, AEI. A second panel discussing challenges of regulating in a transformative era will include Johannes M. Bauer, Quello Chair in Media and Information Policy, Michigan State University; Zach Graves, Executive Director, Lincoln Network; Adam Thierer, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center; and moderated by Adam J. White, Senior Fellow, AEI. A third panel discussing the federal government’s role for expanding digital access will include John P. Bailey, Nonresident Senior Fellow, AEI; Daniel Lyons, Nonresident Senior Fellow, AEI; and moderated by Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow, AEI.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Patent Public Advisory Committee Public Meeting

At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) will convene its next public meeting to discuss the patent operations of the nation’s patent office, including patent policies, goals, budgets and user fees. This meeting will include a policy update on standard essential patents (SEPs) presented by Jeremiah Chan, Legislative and Policy Subcommittee Chair, PPAC; and Christian Hannon, Patent Attorney, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Learn How to Teach Invention By Following the News

At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

This professional development workshop for K-12 educators, hosted by the USPTO, will explore how news headlines can be a useful tool for introducing invention subjects into classroom curriculum. This workshop will feature remarks by Victoria Pasquantonio, Education Producer, PBS NewsHour, and Director, PBS NewsHour Classroom.

Wednesday, September 28 

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Central Reexamination Unit Discussion: Reexamination, Reissue, and Supplemental Examination

At 1:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

This USPTO workshop will feature post grant proceedings available through the agency’s Central Reexamination Unit, including ex parte reexamination, reissue applications and supplemental examination. USPTO staff will discuss statutory requirements for each proceeding and how those proceedings interact with America Invents Act (AIA) trials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

 Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation

FAA Reauthorization: Integrating New Entrants into the National Airspace System

At 2:15 PM on Wednesday in 253 Russell Senate Office Building.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will require reauthorization in 2023 to continue its mission of regulating U.S. civil airspace. The 2018 FAA reauthorization bill began to address certain aspects of drone technology, mainly focusing on regulating the recreational use of drones. In the few years since, however, new commercial applications for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) have developed to the point that policymakers are looking to better incorporate those systems into the national airspace through the next FAA reauthorization bill. The witness panel for this hearing will include Lisa Ellman, Executive Director, Commercial Drone Alliance; Gregory Davis, President and CEO, Eviation; Colonel (Ret.) Stephen P. “Lux” Luxion, Executive Director, FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aerial Systems; Stéphane Fymat, Vice President and General Manager, Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems, Honeywell Aerospace; and Edward M. Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aviation Association.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Together in Innovation: Mentoring the Innovators of Tomorrow

At 3:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

This workshop, part of the USPTO’s Together in Innovation series, is designed to teach entrepreneurs and innovators about how to find effective mentorship in their career fields. This event will feature a fireside chat with Kate McCrery, Founder and CEO, Rhinebeck Ventures; David Price, CEO, The Safety Pouch; and moderated by Deepak Dashairya, Innovation Outreach Program Specialist, Office of Innovation Outreach.

Hudson Institute 

Establishing and Fortifying US National Security Supply Chains

At 3:30 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

Supply chain issues sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought a renewed focus toward securing supply chains and promoting domestic manufacturing among D.C. lawmakers. Ensuring that these efforts do not aid foreign rivals like China has also been an important part of the political debate on supply chains. In mid-September, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on ensuring robust consideration of evolving national security risks by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which expands on factors to be considered in CFIUS review of covered transactions that must meet CFIUS approval. This event will feature a discussion on establishing resilient and redundant supply chains while protecting national security with a panel including Representative Michael Turner (R-OH), Ranking Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; John Walters, President and CEO, Hudson Institute; Edlyn Levine, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, America’s Frontier Fund; Gilbert Kaplan, Chairman of the Advisory Board, Manufacturing Policy Initiative, Indiana University, and Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic & International Studies; Tom Duesterberg, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; and Nadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute.

Thursday, September 29

 Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation 

Securing U.S. Leadership in Emerging Compute Technologies

At 10:00 AM on Thursday in 253 Russell.

At the recent Global Emerging Technologies Summit hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made remarks regarding U.S. leadership in critical tech sectors. Specifically, Sullivan spoke about the Biden Administration’s modern industrial and innovation strategy that incorporates both domestic and foreign policy mechanisms to maintain U.S. leadership in technological fields including quantum computing, biotechnology and clean energy. The witness panel for this hearing has yet to be announced. 

House Committee on Science, Space and Technology 

Trustworthy AI: Managing the Risks of Artificial Intelligence

At 10:30 AM on Thursday in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.

Our world is still many years away from the development of artificial general intelligence, or computing architectures that would allow an artificial intelligence (AI) system to learn, without any programming, how to complete basic tasks that a human could accomplish. Still, scientists working in the field of AI have been voicing concerns about the ethical use and deployment of AI. Last week, a news report from NewScientist showed that, in a survey of more than 300 researchers who had recently co-authored papers on AI topics, more than one-third believed that mature AI systems could trigger a major global disaster if used irresponsibly. The witness panel for this hearing will include Elham Tabassi, Chief of Staff, Information Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Dr. Charles Isbell, Dean and John P. Imlay, Jr. Chair of the College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jordan Crenshaw, Vice President of the Chamber Technology Engagement Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Navrina Singh, Founder and CEO, Credo AI.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Learn About the Master Teacher Invention Program

At 3:30 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

This USPTO workshop for educators will feature an overview of the agency’s Master Teach Invention Program (MTIP), a project aimed at creating a national network of teachers working to cultivate an interest in innovation and intellectual property in their students. Attendees will learn about the process for applying for the MTIP, and how MTIP participants work with the USPTO’s Office of Education to provide professional development opportunities.

Friday, September 30 

Brookings Institution

Global China: US-China Relations Through the Lens of Technology Competition

At 9:00 AM on Friday, online video webinar.

While the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America (CHIPS) and Science Act, which was signed into law by President Biden last month, is focused on domestic production and development in critical areas of technology, the bill has much to do with addressing China’s recent rise as a global technological power. This event, hosted by Brookings’ Foreign Policy program, will explore how technological competition between the U.S. and China may play out under the CHIPS and Science Act through a discussion between Tarun Chhabra, Senior Director for Technology and National Security, National Security Council; and moderated by Chris Meserole, Director of Research, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, and Fellow, Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology. Following that discussion will be a conversation with a panel including Melanie W. Sisson, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Sarah Kreps, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative; and moderated by Meserole.

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