A new webinar from InnoScot Health will be analysing Scotland’s burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and providing useful advice on how to develop and protect healthcare innovations in this fast-moving area

The free to join ‘lunch & learn’ session on Wednesday 29 May, entitled AI in healthcare: IP and commercialisation, will be introduced by the formal NHS Scotland partner’s Head of Innovation, Robert Rea who will discuss topical examples of how intellectual property considerations are shaping the development of AI innovations.

He will be joined by two guest speakers:

• JD Blackwood, NHS AI Lead, CTO, advisor and innovator
• Joanna Boag-Thomson, Partner in the media and technology practice of leading law firm Shepherd & Wedderburn, and an accredited specialist in intellectual property law for over 25 years

The interactive webinar will offer insights on the current AI/healthcare landscape, looking at where Scottish healthcare is already deploying AI and related technologies, where longer-term ambitions lie, how to roll out AI innovations in NHS Scotland and more widely, and the challenges and barriers associated with that rollout.

It will further offer legal perspectives on how best to protect the intellectual property inherent in innovative new healthcare/life sciences ideas that include fast evolving AI technologies, fundamentals of IP ownership, when to dispute that ownership and how – and why it matters – with examples from the medical/life sciences arena.

Robert said: “This will be a really interesting webinar for those who are rightly becoming increasingly interested in looking to integrate and leverage the vast potential of AI for fresh breakthroughs while navigating the innovation process in the best possible way.

“AI and related technologies undoubtedly have an important role to play in the healthcare landscape, both now and in the future, and have huge potential to transform many facets of patient care, so there will be important learnings for all attendees.

“I’m delighted to have two experts on hand for the session – JD who is an undoubted leader in this field with experience of applying for healthcare algorithm patents, and Joanna whose IP know-how is vast, allowing her to reflect on the rise of AI and what it means for healthcare innovators looking to navigate the legalities of turning their ideas into reality.

“A Q&A section will round off the webinar, allowing attendees to probe and receive guidance on their own particular areas of interest.”

The webinar takes place from 12 until 12.45pm.