USPTO Releases Benchmark Study on the Artificial Intelligence Patent Landscape
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a report titled “Inventing AI: Tracing the diffusion of artificial intelligence with U.S. patents.” The study showed that artificial intelligence (AI) patent applications increased by more than 100% between 2002 and 2018, making up 60,000, and the overall share of patent applications containing AI subject matter rose from 9% to nearly 16%.
Accompanying the 100% increase of AI-related patent applications was unprecedented growth and broad diffusion of AI across technologies and geography that attest to the growing importance of AI for all of those seeking intellectual property protection.
“I am pleased to see this rapid increase in artificial intelligence patent applications received by the USPTO, as artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of our everyday lives,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “I commend the USPTO for quickly adapting to this increase in AI-related patents and for supporting American patent filers as they utilize new technologies to enhance the lives of people across the globe.”
“Artificial intelligence is becoming ingrained in the daily life of Americans, facilitated by its rapid integration into products such as voice recognition systems in mobile phones, robotic appliances, satellites, search engines, and so much more. As this major new report demonstrates, the expansion of AI is a long-term trend that is accelerating every year. Unlocking the potential of AI will provide the basis for future U.S. economic growth and prosperity, and is something that the USPTO will continue to facilitate,” said Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.
