Patent applications related to technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution are noticeably increasing. The rise in patent applications in this field is analyzed to be driven primarily by artificial intelligence.
On the 10th, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced the statistical analysis results of patent applications in the 4th Industrial Revolution technology sector from 2013 to 2022.
According to the analysis, the number of patent applications in 4th Industrial Revolution technologies increased by an average of 14.7% annually during the survey period.
The number of patent applications in this field, which was only 7,052 in 2013, grew to 24,341 in 2022, marking a 3.4-fold increase over 10 years. Considering that the total number of patent applications increased by an average of 1.2% annually during the same period, the growth rate of patent applications in 4th Industrial Revolution technologies is even more remarkable.
The main technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution include eight fields: ▲Artificial Intelligence ▲Big Data ▲Internet of Things ▲Digital Healthcare ▲Biomarkers ▲Intelligent Robots ▲Autonomous Driving ▲3D Printing.
Among these, artificial intelligence accounted for 27.2% of the total patent applications in the 4th Industrial Revolution technology sector. This indicates that the increase in patent applications in the 4th Industrial Revolution technology sector was led by artificial intelligence technology patents.
Patent applications in the artificial intelligence field were only 444 in 2013 (ranked 6th among the eight major technologies). However, they began to increase sharply from 2016 and reached 8,960 in 2022, becoming the top field in patent applications among the eight major technologies.
The growth rate of patent applications in the artificial intelligence field from 2013 to 2022 was also 39.6%, far surpassing the overall application growth rate.
This is analyzed as a result made possible by the advent of the artificial intelligence era, triggered by the appearance of AlphaGo in 2016.
As of last year, following artificial intelligence, digital healthcare (23.0%) and autonomous driving (21.7%) were among the fields with high numbers of patent applications.
Recently, the characteristic of the 4th Industrial Revolution technologies?‘convergence between technology fields’?has also become more prominent.
The number of convergence technology applications increased from 128 in 2013 to 2,294 in 2022, growing at an average annual rate of 37.8%. This increase in convergence technology applications is accelerating, and the Korean Intellectual Property Office analyzes that the trend toward convergence will remain distinct for the foreseeable future.
In particular, since 2020, active convergence between artificial intelligence and digital healthcare fields has been observed. This is interpreted as an effect of intensified development of health management-related technologies following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patent applications in this field increased from 360 in 2019 to 795 in 2020, 1,116 in 2021, and 1,089 in 2022 (excluding some undisclosed applications).
Jeon Beom-jae, Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Examination Division at KIPO, said, “Patent statistics are a useful tool for understanding technology trends in a rapidly changing technological environment and for establishing effective technology development strategies.” He added, “The Korean Intellectual Property Office will continue to strive to provide timely patent information necessary for Korea’s advancement in new growth sectors.”
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