I have been brainstorming with a colleague about the future of intellectual property in the digital age. One thing that has emerged is the idea of free flowing IP…where IP seamlessly flows from the point of origination (i.e. within an Academic Institution) to the place where its implementation will create the greatest utility. This whole process happens regardless of geopolitical and institutional borders.

While there are an infinite range of challenges associated with such a model, one of the biggest is the problem of information asymmetries. Intelligent and expeditious IP flow is dependent upon the ability to match actors and coordinate actions in a complex, constantly evolving environment. 

Although it isn’t a panacea to the problem, Facebook is a great example of using technology to help remove significant asymmetries. Whereas before Facebook it was quite difficult to keep up with increasingly complicated lives of my friends, with Facebook it becomes incredibly easier and as a consequence I can deepen relationships with existing friends while at the same time expanding my circle of friends. Naturally this model is dependent upon the individual actors to do the matching, but given an open platform, in theory generative applications based on Correlative Analytic (AI or Collective Intelligence) matching could be designed to automate the process.