China leads the world in generative AI inventions, filing six times more patents than its closest competitor, the United States, according to U.N. data released on Wednesday.
Generative AI, which can create text, images, computer code, and music from existing information, is experiencing explosive growth. Over the past decade, more than 50,000 patent applications have been filed, as reported by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which oversees the international patent recognition system.
WIPO revealed that a quarter of these applications were filed in 2023 alone. “This is a booming area, growing at increasing speed, and we expect it to grow even more,” said Christopher Harrison, WIPO Patent Analytics Manager, during a press briefing.
From 2014 to 2023, China filed over 38,000 generative AI patents, while the United States filed 6,276 during the same period. Harrison noted that Chinese patent applications span a wide range of sectors, including autonomous driving, publishing, and document management.
South Korea, Japan, and India ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, with India exhibiting the fastest growth rate in generative AI patents.
Among the top applicants are China’s ByteDance, the owner of the video app TikTok, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and Microsoft, a supporter of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT.
Generative AI, particularly chatbots capable of mimicking human conversation, is already widely used by retailers to enhance customer service. Harrison emphasized that generative AI has the potential to transform various economic sectors, including science, publishing, transportation, and security.
“The patent data suggests this is an area that will have a profound impact across many different industrial sectors moving forward,” Harrison said, highlighting the scientific sector where generative AI-created molecules could expedite drug development.
WIPO anticipates a further wave of patent filings soon and plans to release a future update of the data, potentially utilizing generative AI to illustrate the trend.
