AI Patent Applications Soar for ‘Ingrained’ Tech, Office Says

Applications for artificial intelligence technology patents more than doubled in the last 16 years, spurred by “rapid integration” into products, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director said in a statement Tuesday.

Applications rose to more than 60,000 in 2018, up from 30,000 in 2002, the office said in a report.

IBM Corp. received the most AI patents among companies listed in the report, with over 46,000 from 1976 to 2018. Microsoft Corp. came in second with about 22,000, followed by Alphabet Inc.‘s Google with nearly 11,000.

“Artificial intelligence is becoming ingrained in the daily life of Americans,” ...