The Rapid Rise of AI Patents Globally: China Leads the Pack
The field of artificial intelligence has made tremendous strides over the past decade. One key indicator of this progress is the skyrocketing number of AI patents being granted worldwide each year.
The infographic from The AI Index 2024 Annual Report, compiled by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, reveals the exponential growth in AI patents from 2010 to 2022. In 2012, only 4,741 AI patents were granted globally. Fast forward just 10 years to 2022, and that annual figure jumped over 7x to 35,315 patents.
China has emerged as the clear leader in AI patents over this period. A whopping 61% of the cumulative AI patents granted between 2010–2022 came from China. The United States took second place with 21% of patents. The European Union and United Kingdom combined made up just 2%, while the Rest of World (RoW) accounted for the remaining 16%.
This data underscores China’s growing dominance in the AI space in recent years. China has made AI a key strategic priority as part of its “Made in China 2025” plan and has invested heavily in AI R&D and commercial applications. Reports estimate China plans to invest up to $150 billion in AI by 2030 to become the world leader. Notable Chinese tech giants like Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and others have driven much of this AI innovation and patent activity.
The U.S. remains a major AI player as well, with companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Apple, OpenAI and many others pioneering breakthroughs in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing and other key AI domains. The White House has prioritized AI leadership with initiatives like the American AI Initiative to boost R&D funding and develop AI regulations.
While the EU, UK and other regions make up a smaller share of AI patents so far, they are also investing significantly in AI. The EU has plans to invest €20 billion per year over the next decade in AI through the “Digital Europe” and Horizon Europe programs. The UK has its own National AI Strategy and AI council to guide development and governance of the technology.
What’s driving this explosion in AI patenting activity globally? The short answer is that AI is rapidly progressing from research labs into real-world commercial applications across nearly every industry — from healthcare, finance and transportation to manufacturing, agriculture, education and beyond. As companies race to gain a competitive edge using AI and secure intellectual property rights, patent filings have surged.
Some of the most transformative areas of AI innovation include:
- Large language models like GPT-3 enabling powerful natural language tasks
- Computer vision for autonomous vehicles, robotics, medical imaging, etc.
- Deep learning pushing state-of-the-art in pattern recognition and prediction
- Recommendation engines and chatbots enhancing customer experiences
- AI planning and optimization transforming supply chains and manufacturing
As AI continues to advance at a breakneck pace, we can expect to see patent activity continue to climb, investment accelerate even further, and more AI-powered products and services come to market. At the same time, important questions around the ethics, safety, fairness and governance of AI will need to be addressed by policymakers, researchers and industry.
One thing is clear — we are still in the early innings of the AI revolution, and its impact will be felt in every corner of business and society in the coming years. Monitoring key metrics like AI patent activity can help us make sense of the evolving state-of-play of this exciting and complex field.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m happy to further discuss this fascinating and fast-moving area of technology.
