Rockwell Automation’s Virtuous Cycle of IIoT & an AI That’s Too Smart

January 03, 2022

On this episode, the Insiders debate whether AI is an application or a tool. Then Arvind Rao, Global Director and Head of Product Management and Industry Solutions at Rockwell Automation joins Brandon and Rich to discuss how the automation equipment supplier and its customers are faring with smart technology rollouts in the manufacturing sector. The three discuss the most successful starting points, potential roadblocks, and ways that internal and external Rockwell customers have successfully implemented Industrial IoT technology in new and legacy installations.

Later, Associate Editor Tiera Oliver asks a philosophical question: Can an AI create? There is significant litigation around patents filed on behalf of an AI called DABUS as technologists, researchers, and courts worldwide dispute whether patents should be awarded entities other than natural persons. Tiera takes a deep dive into how this debate is unfolding in South Africa, where a legal team from the University of Surrey has brought the case in front of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.