Robert Marks talks with lawyer Richard Stevens about the puzzling Thaler project. Marks asks the same question I’ve been asking, in the same emotional tone of itchy frustration. What is Thaler trying to GAIN? What’s the business advantage of relinquishing the human possession of a patent to the AI software?

Lawyer Stevens doesn’t have a good answer. He thinks Thaler is trying to get an official endorsement for publicity purposes. With an endorsement, he can gain more investors? This feels like an inadequate reason for all the expense and trouble. Venture capitalists don’t need reasons or endorsements or common sense; in fact they strongly prefer illegal and crazy projects.

Clearly the project belongs inside the demonic world of Effective Altruism and Transhumanism, but that still doesn’t pin down the specific ADVANTAGE of this specific work.