10:30 AM ET
May 18, 2026 / How AI Works / Beyond the Black Box: How AI Really Works in Patent Practice*

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Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from experimentation to embedded infrastructure within patent and legal workflows. Yet most practitioners still lack a clear understanding of how these systems actually behave—and that gap is the primary reason results remain inconsistent.

This panel will provide a practical understanding of how to use modern AI systems in real-world applications. Panelists will explain how inputs, context, and system design shape outputs, where limitations arise, and why users who treat AI as a black box consistently underperform.

Building on that foundation, the discussion will shift to execution. Complex patent tasks—such as invention analysis, prior art comparison, claim development, and prosecution strategy—are increasingly being decomposed into structured, multi-step workflows, where prompts define discrete stages and AI systems operate with increasing autonomy. Panelists will demonstrate how context-setting, constraint design, role assignment, and iterative refinement materially improve output quality and reliability.

The focus throughout is on moving beyond isolated prompting toward disciplined, repeatable systems that deliver professional-grade legal work at scale. Attendees will leave with a clear model of how AI works in practice, a practical framework for integrating it into patent workflows, and a grounded understanding of how these capabilities are beginning to reshape internal operations and external service models...

Materials

How Successful Patent Practitioners Are Putting AI to Work