Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving all the time thanks to the growing quantities of learning data available and advances in affordable access to high computing power but is this technology being adopted equally in all countries? Business Intelligence Consultant Amira Tiga examines AI patent data in Europe, with a focus on France, to uncover what patent mapping can tell us about the state of AI-based innovation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving major advances in technology and business across a wide range of sectors. With an impact on virtually every aspect of creation, AI-based technology is evolving all the time thanks to the growing quantities of learning data available and advances in affordable access to high computing power. Through patent mapping, we can uncover the true picture of innovation in this fast-moving field, from the main players to the most competitive technology fields.
AI Patents: The Basics
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
In general terms, artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that aims to develop machines and systems capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence. Machine learning and deep learning are both applications of AI. With the emergence of new neural network techniques and software in recent years, AI is now widely perceived to be synonymous with "supervised deep machine learning".
Is AI Protected By IP?
AI software can be protected by a patent if it complies with the same constraints as conventional software, i.e., if it has a technical character. Technical character is present when the software produces an additional technical effect, i.e., a technical effect that goes beyond the "normal" physical interaction between a computer program (software) and the computer (hardware) on which it runs.
What is patentable is generally the AI used in a particular technical context to solve a technical problem. What enables the technical effect to be obtained may be linked to the training, the input or output data, etc.
AI Patent Mapping in Europe from 2010
Patent mapping analysis is conducted using Orbit Intelligence, a leading intellectual property intelligence software dedicated to patent search and analysis. The platform provides access to the world's largest database of patents and scientific literature. For the basis of this research, we used several equations and classes to construct the database, searching as far back as 2010. The study yielded the following results:
Legal Status of AI Patent Families in Europe
Numerous patent families were retrieved disclosing artificial intelligence in Europe:
- 54% of the inventions selected are granted titles,
- 6% of patent families have lapsed,
- 93% of the patent families are still alive.
Patent families are a group of national (member) applications and patents for the same invention.
Patent Filing Dynamics
Examination of filing dynamics reveals a spike in applications between 2018 and 2021, showing a strong growth trend during the last five years. This growth is correlated with the interest in AI thanks to major technological advances, particularly in the field of machine learning, which are extending the capabilities of computers and boosting their performance in a wide range of areas (language processing, speech understanding, image recognition, robotics, etc.). These advances open vast prospects for technological innovations.
Patent Families By Assignee
Among the top 20 players can be found Robert Bosch, which has a substantial number of AI-related patent families, indicating a strong focus on innovation and IP in this field. Siemens also demonstrates a significant commitment to AI-related innovations with many patent families. This suggests an active engagement in research and development (R&D) in the AI domain, covering a wide spectrum of applications and technologies. Samsung Electronics, a major player in the electronics industry, also has a considerable number of AI-related patent families. This reflects its involvement in AI technologies across various products and services. Likewise, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has a substantial number of AI-related patent families. This aligns with Google's focus on AI-driven technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and other AI applications. Microsoft's significant number of AI-related patent families indicates a strong focus on AI R&D.
In general, higher numbers of AI-related patent families suggest more extensive involvement and a broader scope of AI-related technologies for each assignee. These numbers underscore the importance of AI innovation across various industries, from electronics and technology to healthcare and automotive.
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