Max Fei is a corporate associate in MoFo’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on all aspects of domestic and international patent prosecution and portfolio counseling. As part of the Diverse in Practice series, we asked Max about working cross-functionally with the Artificial Intelligence + Robotics Group, and how the team’s unique voices and perspectives are driving outstanding client outcomes.
What was it that initially drew you to AI and robotics law?
It’s exciting to be where the action is, and the action is in AI and robotics. Artificial intelligence gives us powerful tools to unlock our most complicated problems. Machine learning techniques may help us understand extremely complex biological interactions so that we can develop new cures for diseases. AI and robotics promise to make us safer with self-driving cars that can greatly reduce traffic injuries and deaths. It’s an exciting time to be in this space.
How does the field of AI and robotics intersect with, or improve upon, similar practice areas?
One of the core pillars of AI and robotics is computer vision, which is the ability for a computer to recognize objects and patterns like we are able to with our eyes and brain. This is the foundation for a lot of interdisciplinary work, especially where we are trying to blend technology with everyday life. Self-driving cars and augmented reality are examples where robust computer vision techniques are crucial to success.
Do you have any advice for the next generation of aspiring diverse lawyers who might be interested in the field?
Because this field spans so many disciplines, it’s very important to have a solid technical foundation. An AI and robotics project may involve general computer programming, computer vision algorithms, machine learning techniques, mechanical engineering, and statistics, among other disciplines. It’s not feasible to be an expert in every field, but having the right foundation of math, physics, and programming allows you to understand how all of these pieces fit together to complete the puzzle.
Learn more about MoFo’s commitment to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse attorneys here.