Logo of TensorFlow (eg this link) always reminds me of the role of a patent attorney. This logo looks T in one direction and F in another direction. I always think that as a patent attorney I should face a meeting with such a stance. The invention will be totally different when you change your perspective.
 TensorFlow. If you are interested in artificial intelligence, I think you have heard it before. There may be many who have actually tried it out. It seems that it has been a while since open source conversion. Not limited to TensorFlow, various libraries for artificial intelligence development are released free of charge. I did not know that such a library was released for free until I heard the news on public release of TensorFlow, so I was a little shocked when I heard the news.
 With TensorFlow, it will be possible for amateurs (eg myself) to develop technology to solve familiar problems with just ideas and a little programming knowledge. Until a while ago, I think that technology development was like a kind of privilege, which is realized by human resources who acquired expertise belonging to the development department with well-developed environment. However, if anyone can use the library for free, there is no barrier to at least part of artificial intelligence development, and it seems that anyone can become a developer. If you collect source data on the net and do machine learning using TensorFlow, I think that you can do quite a lot. Actually, a lot of articles are posted on the net such as “I tried ○○ with TensorFlow”. The world where development barriers fell. It seems like a very good world as an ordinary person. Because there is a possibility to create meaningful things from a little idea.
 On the other hand, if you look at the world as an applicant who invests development, I think that it is quite a difficult situation. Compared to other technologies, artificial intelligence related technology seems to raise very rapidly the level of technology considered to have inventive step. While developers with specialized knowledge advance development using their own facilities, even those who do not have expert knowledge can try out their own ideas. And, if some achievement is obtained, there are many people who publish it on the net. These acts increase the prior arts that are the basis of the inventive step judgment at an extremely fast rate. At least it seems that the level of inventive step will rise much easier compared to general fields such as automobile engine development where special environments are essential. I think that it has become a serious era. Companies that intend to develop artificial intelligence related technology and intend to get a patent seem to need to file at a tremendous speed. Few days ago, I have seen the news that artificial intelligence related applications by Japanese companies delay much compared to foreign companies (especially US companies, Chinese companies). I hope that artificial intelligence development in Japanese companies will become active more.