Trends and Priority Shifts in Artificial Intelligence Technology Invention: A global patent analysis

         
Author Name FUJII Hidemichi (Nagasaki University) / MANAGI Shunsuke (Faculty Fellow, RIETI)
Creation Date/NO. May 2017 17-E-066
Research Project Economics of Artificial Intelligence
Download / Links

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can play a critical role in economic development, resource conservation, and environmental protection by increasing efficiency. This study is the first to apply a decomposition framework to clarify the determinants of AI technology invention. Exploiting data from the World Intellectual Property Organization, this study clarifies the determining factors that contribute to AI technology patent publications based on technology type. Consisting of 13,567 AI technology patents for the 2000-2016 period, our worldwide dataset includes patent publication data from the United States, Japan, China, Europe, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). We find that priority has shifted from biological- and knowledge-based models to specific mathematical models and other AI technologies, particularly in the United States and Japan. Our technology type and country comparison shows that the characteristics of AI technology patent publication differ among companies and countries.