Google Leads the Pack in AI Patent Applications, Dominating Generative and Agentic AI

Google dominates AI patent applications

Why it matters: Patent filings, though they're not a direct proxy for innovation, indicate areas of keen research interest -- and generative AI patent applications in the U.S. have risen by more than 50 percent in recent months. In the patents-for-agents U.S. rankings, Google and Nvidia top the list, followed by IBM, Intel and Microsoft, according to an analysis released Thursday. In global rankings for generative AI, Google was also the leader -- but six of the top 10 global spots were held by Chinese companies or universities. Microsoft was No. 3, with Nvidia and IBM also in the top 10. In U.S. rankings for generative AI, Google and Microsoft topped the list of U.S. patent applications, surpassing previous leader IBM. Many of the same names cropped up in the list of overall AI-related U.S. patent applications, with Google in the top spot, followed by Microsoft, IBM, Samsung and Capital One. Neither Meta nor OpenAI ranked in the top 10, though OpenAI has stepped up its patent efforts over the past year, IFI's analysis found. By the numbers: Overall, the number of U.S. patent applications related to generative AI surged 56% last year, to 51,487. Granted patents in the U.S. also rose 32%.

Google overtakes IBM to lead in generative AI patents: Report

Data from IFI Claims, a database management company headquartered in the US, suggests that the tech giant has applied for 1,837 AI-related patents globally, followed by Samsung at 1,706, and Huawei at 1,399. The company holds 50% more patents than Microsoft, and nearly double that of IBM globally.In the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI), Google has dominated the research landscape more than any other organisation, with the most number of patents filed, cruising ahead of companies such as Samsung, Huawei and Microsoft. Data from IFI Claims, a database management company headquartered in the US, suggests that the tech giant has applied for 1,837 AI-related patents globally, followed by Samsung at 1,706, and Huawei at 1,399. The company holds 50% more patents than Microsoft, and nearly double that of IBM globally. In the US, Google leads in AI patents with 880 applications, followed by Microsoft at 701 and IBM at 684. In terms of genAI patents, Google is in the lead, with 563 globally. Microsoft was at No. 3, but Chinese companies or universities took six of the top 10 positions. Patent filings do not directly hint at the quantum of innovation, but point to the level of research interest in a sector. Areas of interest The top areas covered by the genAI patents are: Application layer As funding has risen in the AI sector, companies are rushing to patent inventions around the cornerstone of the technology: image, speech, text and video creation. Nvidia leads in video and image patents, as per the report, while Microsoft tops in text. Google is focusing its attention on speech. While the tech giants are patenting in all areas, they are doubling down on only one or two domains. Agentic AI, the next frontier According to the report, agentic AI is the next frontier in the tech landscape. While the technology remains nascent for now, the promise of autonomous tech is attracting many companies. Globally, agentic AI patents make up 5% of all AI-related applications so far. In the US, the number is 7%. Google leads both globally and in the US, followed by Nvidia.