The UK Intellectual Property Office (Patent Office) has provided fresh guidance on patent applications for artificial intelligence (AI) inventions, including helpful scenarios explaining how to successfully gain AI patents from the UK IPO. This guidance is designed to help ensure the UK remains a cost-efficient forum for applicants to get granted patents in this rapidly evolving area. Artificial intelligence is now applied in a vast range of fields, from pharmaceuticals to the automotive industry, and from industrial chemicals to fintech. The enormous range of possible uses has created challenges for the Patent Office when it comes to examining patent applications related to AI inventions. The UK IPO applies a framework developed by the English Courts when assessing whether computer-implemented inventions, including AI inventions, are excluded from patentability as merely "computer programs as such" or if they escape the exclusion by providing a technical contribution. This involves assessing a number of "signposts" for patentability.

The UK government has published its much-awaited National AI Strategy in pursuit of "global science superpower" status. The document talks of plans for a "new national programme and approach to support research and development" plus a government white paper on the governance and regulation of AI [PDF]. Details of the strategy were trailed back in January when the AI Council published its "AI Roadmap" including 16 recommendations to the government. Among the headlines from today's announcement is the recognition that to make any progress, ministers must ensure the right skills are in place – and that means starting at school age right up to postgraduate learning. The government also plans to launch a National AI Research and Innovation Programme to – you guessed it – improve research.

The United Kingdom has ruled out that AIs or artificial intelligence cannot set forth its patents or have an invention or innovation named after them after an appeal by one Dr. Stephen Thaler. The researcher has set forth several innovations to be named after the AI he used, something which is somehow unnatural for the courts. The case of Thaler vs. Comptroller General of Patents Trade Marks and Designs has focused on the United Kingdom's view on AI and its right to push forward an invention for society. It has examined the possibility of having an AI take credit for its work, something which was not yet that of an open possibility in the country. That being said, the "AI DABUS" or technology by Thaler, which he put down as the "inventor" of the technology that they are trying to patent, was dismissed and denied.

Twenty years ago, there was a huge gulf between China and the United States on AI research. While the U.S. was witnessing sustained growth in research efforts by both public institutions and private sectors, China was still conducting low-value-added activities in global manufacturing. But in the intervening years, China has surged to rapidly catch up. From a research perspective, China has become a world leader in AI publications and patents. This trend suggests that China is also poised to become a leader in AI-empowered businesses, such as speech and image recognition applications.

In August, the US government announced the release of $ 1 billion in financing to ensure "that the United States continues to lead the world in artificial intelligence and quantum computing," according to US chief technology officer Michael Kratsios. It seems that the money came too late: for the first time, China surpassed the US in number of AI patents, with more than 110,000 applications filed last year. The news was given by the deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, Li Yuxiao at a press conference on the 23rd, during the 7th World Internet Conference (WIC). "China is strengthening its independence in information technology on the Internet," he said, without mentioning how many AI patents have been registered by the United States. During the event, two studies were presented on Chinese efforts to develop the internal digital economy.

AI and automation are receiving a boost during the coronavirus pandemic that in the short term is creating a new hybrid workforce rather than destroying jobs outright. The big picture: While the forces of automation and AI will eliminate some jobs and create some new ones, the vast majority will remain but be dramatically changed. The challenge for employers will be ensuring workforces are ready for the effects of technology.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) continually progressing and developing, it's unsurprising that many companies are aiming to lead in the AI technology market – especially given that the global AI market is on track to be worth over $118 billion by 2022. But which companies are currently leading the way for innovation when it comes to AI? To find out, our friends over at RS Components analyzed AI patent applications in order to find out which brands are at the forefront of AI innovation. Take a look at the graphic below to see which countries have been making the most AI applications and the companies that have applied for the most, as well as which AI-focused brands are making the most patent grants.

The US is a leader in investing capital into private AI with nearly US$12 billion. China, which came second with US$6.8 billion investment, also files more AI patents than any other country across the globe and three times more than Japan. The majority of AI patents filed between 2014-2018 were filed in the U.S. and Canada, and 94% of patents are filed in wealthy nations. Mergers and acquisitions worth $37 billion were spurred thanks to AI. At the same time, IPOs worth $34 billion were also associated with AI. Investment in AI startups recorded a rapid increase in the last ten years from a total of $1.3 billion raised in 2010 to over $40.4 billion.

Content analysis of AI patents shows the direction of the technology. If you want to know where a technology is going, follow the patents. That's what researchers from Stanford University and Brookings Institution recently did with artificial intelligence-related patents submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office, and they have come up with an interesting read on the types of disruptions the technology will be having on jobs and companies. By analyzing keywords in AI patents, the researchers identified where AI will be having its greatest impact in the years ahead, above and beyond the "big--and often vague--claims" made about AI. "The technology remains a fluid and emergent topic, with no single definition and relatively little real-world examples of adoption to learn from," state Mark Muro, Jacob Whiton, and Robert Maxim, all with Brookings institution, who provide analysis on Stanford University Ph.D. candidate Michael Webb's approach of "quantifying the overlap between the text of AI patents and the text of job descriptions" that provides a unique way "to identify the kinds of tasks and occupations likely to be affected by particular AI capabilities." Such analysis, Muro and his team write, provides hard evidence on the direction AI will be taking in business settings.

By Amit Aggarwal The modern era of innovation and scientific growth has been largely led by the rise of the machine age. The successful incorporation of automation capabilities with basic human intelligence has resulted in what is termed as "Artificial Intelligence". Artificial Intelligence is used in almost every field today ranging from automated vehicles, healthcare, aviation, finance, entertainment, education, heavy industries and so on. With each passing day, machines with higher and higher capabilities of learning and autonomous thinking are being conceived and implemented. AI has the potential to challenge the core standards that are edifice of Patent law.