China is ahead of other countries in patent applications for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) inventions, according to recent United Nations data.
China files six times as many patent applications as the United States.
Generative AI generates text, images, computer code, and even music from existing information. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), generative AI is growing rapidly, with more than 50,000 patent applications filed in the past decade.
WIPO, the United Nations organization that oversees the system by which countries share patent recognition, said about 25% of patent applications were filed in 2023 alone.
“This is a rapidly growing area and one that is expected to grow even more,” WIPO’s Christopher Harrison told reporters recently.
China filed more than 38,000 GenAI invention applications between 2014 and 2023, compared with 6,276 applications from the United States during the same period, WIPO said.
Harrison said China’s patent applications cover a variety of fields, from autonomous driving to publishing and document management.
According to the data, South Korea, Japan and India ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively, with India growing at the fastest pace.
Top applicants included China’s ByteDance, which owns video app TikTok, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group and Microsoft, a backer of OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT.
WIPO’s Harrison said that while chatbots with capabilities to mimic human communication are already widely used to improve customer service, GenAI could transform industries including science, publishing, transportation and security. For example, Harrison said data shows that molecules created by GenAI could help speed up drug development.
WIPO said it expects many more patent applications to be filed in the coming days, and the organization plans to publish updated versions of its data using generative AI in the future.
I’m John Russell.
Emma Farge reported this story for Reuters. Edited by John Russell for VOA Learning English.
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Words in this story
Patent — n. A document that gives an individual or company the sole right to make or sell a product for a limited time.
Generative — adj. Denoting the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to create complete content units.
Application – n. A formal written request for something.
Autonomous – adjective: acting independently of other people or things
Chatbot — n. A program designed to chat with humans.
