- tech360.tv
China Takes the Lead in Generative AI Patents Race
China dominates the generative AI patent battle, filing six times as many patents as the United States. Over the last decade, there have been over 50,000 patent applications for generative artificial intelligence. China's patent applications span a variety of industries, including autonomous driving and publishing.
The country has filed six times as many patents in this industry as its closest competitor, the United States. Generative AI, which includes the production of text, images, computer code, and even music from existing data, has seen an increase in patent applications, with over 50,000 files in the last decade alone, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which oversees the global patent recognition system, stated that a fourth of these applications were filed in 2023 alone, highlighting the field's significant growth and potential. Christopher Harrison, WIPO Patent Analytics Manager, emphasised his confidence, saying, "This is a booming area this is an area that is growing at increasing speed. And it's somewhere that we expect to grow even more"
China's supremacy in generative AI patents is clear, with over 38,000 inventions filed between 2014 and 2023. In comparison, the United States submitted 6,276 patents in the same time period. Chinese patent filings include a wide range of areas, including autonomous driving, publishing, and document management.
The United Nations report also provided the standings of other countries in the generative AI patent competition. South Korea, Japan, and India ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Notably, India had the fastest growth rate among these countries.
Leading the pack of top patent applicants were China's ByteDance, the parent firm of famous video app TikTok, Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group, and Microsoft, a backer of startup OpenAI, which created ChatGPT.
While chatbots that can mimic human speech are currently widely employed to improve customer service, generative AI has the potential to transform several economic areas, including science, publishing, transportation, and security. WIPO's Christopher Harrison underlined the enormous influence that generative AI might have on a variety of industries, particularly in science, where AI-generated compounds could speed medicine development.
WIPO anticipates an increase in patent submissions and intends to share updated data in the future, maybe using generative AI to demonstrate the continued trend.
China leads the generative AI patents race, filing six times more patents than the United States.
Generative AI has witnessed over 50,000 patent applications in the past decade.
China's patent applications cover various sectors, including autonomous driving and publishing.
Source: REUTERS