Antonia Modkova

Intellectual Property and Innovation | Artificial Intelligence Lawyer | Patent Attorney | Computer Scientist | Automation Advocate

My Mission

To champion innovation, invention and automation, creating conditions where human ingenuity thrives and removing unnecessary barriers to making dreams a reality.

About Antonia

Working at the Intersection of law, technology, and innovation, particularly within the domain of artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property (IP) strategy and management.

  • Patent Attorney, lawyer, and Computer Scientist, specialised in deep technology and AI

  • Experienced in growing strong and diversified IP portfolios. Grew AI R&D company Soul Machines' IP portfolio, filing over 300 patents across 10 jurisdictions protecting Soul Machines’ inventions in artificial intelligence, machine learning, human-computer interaction, computer graphics and animation

  • Co-founding the AI Edutech startup Amy.app, and the off-grid renewable energy company LUX Solar

  • Education: BSc(Hons) in Computer Science and LLB

Articles and Papers

  • Lawyers talk a lot about technology – but how many are walking the talk?

  • The Four Reasons Lawyers Resist Technology: Many lawyers see technology as a threat – whether that be a threat to their ego, to their income or to the profession. But what if lawyers saw new technologies as opportunities, not threats?

  • Does New Zealand need a specific law for deepfakes? A glimpse of how New Zealand law already catches many harmful misuses of deepfakes, via the Privacy Act, Crimes Act, Fair Trading Act, and more!

  • How to Cross-Examine an Algorithm (for lawyers): As more human activity is replaced by artificial intelligence, lawyers and judges need to be better equipped to understand and argue about machine learning.

  • The Robot Revolution Re-Inventing Inventorship

  • Intellectual Property in Higher Education: Who owns student innovation?

Talks, Panels and Seminars

  • Aotearoa AI Summit: AI and Intellectual Property: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities (September 2024)

  • Seeking Assurance: Understanding the Artificial Intelligence Attack Surface - CREST x ISC2 Seminar (March 2024)

  • Generative AI – What does the Future Hold? – IPSANZ Seminar (September 2023)

  • World IP Day 2023 panel discussion. Women and IP – IPONZ & NZIPA (May 2023)

  • Strategies for Protecting Artificial Intelligence Invention – LESANZ (June 2022)

  • Artificial Intelligence & Intellectual Property in the Creative Industries Panelist – UK Intellectual Property Office & University of Exeter (November 2021)

  • In-House Legal IP Management: Developing an IP Strategy and Getting Everyone in the Company on Board – Legalwise In-House Counsel Conference (2021)

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Patent Law – Legalwise Trade Marks and Patents Conference (2020)

  • The Great Reset: A Tech Perspective – Potentia (2020)

  • Seminar on: The Robot Revolution – Reinventing Inventorship – IPSANZ Seminar (2018)

  • Seminar on: Intellectual Property in Higher Education: Who owns student innovation – ANZELA Conference (2013)

My Philosophy

When it comes to emerging, powerful technologies such as AI, the media loves to exploit humanity’s inbuilt fear of change and uncertainty with headlines that focus on potential risks. But we must not be blinded by this at the expense of exploiting the massive opportunities. By relieving humans from automatable tasks, and doing more - with less - more of us can move into work that is fun, rewarding, impactful, and fulfilling. We can create new jobs more aligned with the things we excel at, like creating, inventing, innovating, improving, educating, and entertaining.

About Antonia

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