No matter how smart it is, artificial intelligence would not exist without its inventors who diligently work on many discoveries, as evidenced by the large number of GenAI (generative artificial intelligence) patents, which have increased by more than 800 percent over the past decade. According to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there were only 733 patents in 2014, and in 2023, there are as many as 14 thousand. During the same period, the number of scientific publications on artificial intelligence has increased even more: in 2014, only 116 were published, while in 2023, more than 34 thousand were published, meaning that just last year, more than 25 percent of all GenAI patents were granted and more than 45 percent of all GenAI scientific papers were published. Inventions in artificial intelligence are based on computational models and algorithms such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, machine learning algorithms… These models and algorithms are of a mathematical nature, using large input data and providing various outputs.
The rise of GenAI in recent years has been primarily driven by more powerful computers, the availability of large datasets as data sources, and improved artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. For example, the development of transformer architecture in LLM has significantly advanced GenAI. The development of complex applications in many different areas has been enabled, but without top inventors, there would be no sudden increase in patents and progress in GenAI. Their revolutionary inventions have not only advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology but have also made it an indispensable part of many industries in a very short period.
There is hardly a field without it
There is hardly any activity where artificial intelligence is not used. It is even present in art, where the question is increasingly raised whether certain works were created by a human or AI. Among the most important GenAI models are generative adversarial networks (GAN), variational autoencoders (VAE), and decoder-based large language models (LLM). Key application areas for GenAI patents include software, medicine, document management, business solutions, industry, manufacturing, transportation, security, telecommunications…
GenAI is already present in many products, services, and processes; thus, it becomes a technological driver for content creation and efficiency improvement and will further impact many industries in the future. For example, it can accelerate drug development by designing molecules for new drug formulations and personalized medicine. In document management, it can automate tasks, save time and money, and create customized marketing materials, while in business solutions, chatbots can be used for customer service, retail assistance systems, and employee training. In industry and manufacturing, GenAI enables product design optimization and digital programming, while in transportation, it plays a key role in autonomous driving and public transport optimization.
Top inventors
The most successful AI innovator in the world is engineer Jianzong Wang from the Chinese company Ping An Insurance, who has the highest number of both granted and filed patents. He tops the list with a total of 1077 patents and applications. He currently has 364 granted patents, while 713 applications are still pending. He is followed by American engineer Sarbajit K. Rakshit from IBM, who has 356 granted patents, as well as those awaiting approval. Following Rakshit on the list of the most successful American inventors in the field of artificial intelligence are Kenneth Neumann from KPN Innovations and Austin Walters from Capital One Financial Corporation, who has 303 granted patents and pending applications. They are followed by inventors from companies such as Cisco Systems, Adobe, Stradvision, and Samsung, whose artificial intelligence patents have a significant impact across various industries.
The number of invention applications awaiting approval also reveals the great potential of AI solutions, and their inventors are the driving force behind the evolution of the artificial intelligence sector. The potential of artificial intelligence permeates almost all industries, from mobility, manufacturing, and medical technology, translation services to the future of digital communication, and it is expected to help improve energy efficiency and the security of wireless networks. Although 2023 was particularly important for artificial intelligence due to the large number of filed and granted patents, it should not be forgotten that that year saw the first law on artificial intelligence enacted globally, realized by the European Union. The increase in innovations in artificial intelligence is embedded in global innovation ecosystems, and their evolution is reflected in the latest patenting trends. For example, more than two thousand European patents relate solely to artificial neural networks that process information for speech recognition, image analysis, and autonomous robots in a manner inspired by biological neural systems.
The most inventive companies
Public interest in GenAI was significantly increased by the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot at the end of 2022. Nvidia’s CEO, American engineer and entrepreneur Jen-Hsun Huang, compared the emergence of ChatGPT to the invention of the iPhone. ChatGPT has made it easier for users to access advanced GenAI programs, especially large language models (LLM). These models have reached new levels of performance, demonstrating potential for various real-world applications, triggering a wave of research and development and significant corporate investments in GenAI. On the list of the ten world companies and organizations with the most patents in GenAI are Tencent, a Chinese multimedia company, the largest in the video game sector and with the highest revenue in the world in its sector; followed by Ping An Insurance Group, Baidu, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences…
