"The huge number of patent filings in AI indicate a paradigm shift from theoretical research," said Venkata Naveen, senior disruptive tech analyst at GlobalData. "Tech incumbents with deep pockets are poaching top AI talent from universities to develop practical applications. In addition, AI is industry-agnostic and can complement other technologies like big data, Internet of Things and robotics."
Samsung filed the highest number of AI patents, followed by Alphabet, Intel, IBM and Microsoft. Samsung company is expanding its research scope around AI technologies focused on improving lifestyles.
Nearly one-fourth of the patents filed by Alphabet were from AI startups like DeepMind, Waymo and Verily.
The top 10 list not only has tech giants as major patent filing companies. American bank Capital One has made it to the list with AI patents for automating customer support services, followed by robotics company Fanuc and optical products manufacturer Canon.
The US has taken the top spot, followed by China. Half of the companies in the top 10 list are from the US while the remaining are from China, Japan and South Korea.
"AI is already powering many critical tasks, from identifying the shortest route on Google Maps to predict the next epidemic," said Naveen. "But we are only witnessing some of its many applications, and the true potential of the technology is difficult to comprehend unless all those patents see the light of the day. AI patent filings are not only a yardstick to measure a company’s future digital strategy, but also to some extent answer the question of who is winning the AI supremacy race."
