U.S. Patent Data Reveals Expanding Footprint of Artificial Intelligence Across Inventors and Industries

Technology diffusion refers to the process by which new technologies spread and are adopted by inventors, companies, and other innovators. Historically, widely diffused technologies such as steam power, electricity, and information technology have driven significant increases in both the volume and variety of goods produced, thereby fueling innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

In October 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published an analysis highlighting the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) through patent data. The report demonstrates that AI is increasingly embedded across a broad spectrum of technologies, inventor-patentees, companies, and geographic locations within the United States.

The USPTO’s data shows a remarkable upward trend in AI patenting activity. Specifically, the percentage of U.S. organizations holding AI patents rose from less than 5% in 1980 to just over 20% in 2018. Similarly, the proportion of individual inventors patenting AI technologies increased along a comparable trajectory during this period.

This growth indicates that AI is becoming a critical component of invention and innovation in the U.S., reflecting its diffusion beyond niche applications into mainstream technological development.

The report includes graphical representations illustrating these trends, with a green line depicting the share of patent assignees (organizations) and a dashed blue line representing inventor-patentees engaged in AI patenting.

The broad diffusion of AI patenting activity suggests that the technology is not confined to a limited set of companies or regions but is spreading widely across the U.S. innovation landscape.

Such diffusion has important implications for economic growth, as technologies that permeate multiple sectors tend to have outsized impacts on productivity and the creation of new goods and services.

The USPTO’s findings underscore the importance of monitoring AI’s evolution through patent data to understand its role in shaping future technological and economic trajectories.