UK Leads Europe in Generative AI Patents, with China and US Dominating Globally

Britain is leading the way in Europe for generative AI patents, edging Germany, according to UN research.

New data from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency that tracks patents, revealed that the UK is currently the leading European country for generative AI patent filings.

With 714 patents, the UK narrowly surpasses Germany's 708. However, Germany is rapidly catching up, having published more patents than the UK in recent years.

Globally, China has established a significant lead in generative AI, filing over 38,000 patents from 2014 to 2023, which is six times more than the United States' 6,276 patents in the same period. South Korea, Japan, and India round out the top five countries in this field, highlighting a strong international competition in AI innovation.

Libero Raspa, Director of adesso UK, commented: “The UK is pushing hard for its seat at the table of global AI leaders, so seeing UK companies among the top nations filing generative AI patents, off the back of investment from the Turing Institute and last year’s AI Safety Summit is good progress. AI should be central to enhancing efficiency, and innovation, underpinned by investment, is crucial for successful tech projects that can enhance business operations and boost productivity. UK businesses should continue flying the GenAI flag, driving its development and fuelling growth, and do this fast with the support of business partners that are stages ahead in proving its concepts, have already deployed solutions, and have addressed the multitude of questions around these new technologies.”

The generative AI sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, with over 54,000 patent applications filed in the past decade, and more than 25 per cent of these emerging in the last year alone. This technology, capable of producing text, images, computer code, and even music, is set to transform numerous economic sectors, including science, publishing, transportation, and security.

The UK is home to several global leaders in generative AI research. Prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford, UCL, Imperial College London, and the University of Cambridge feature among the top 20 institutions for scientific publications in this field. Notably, Siemens, based in Germany, is the top European company for GenAI patent filings, ranking 16th globally.

Dr Adeshola Cole, CEO, Tritek Consulting commented: “The UK’s AI ambitions are great to see but to maximise the benefits of patented generative AI technologies, the UK workforce must be equipped with the necessary digital skills to oversee its development and implementation. As a result, the UK government, industry and education sector must come together to roadmap the future of AI skills, updating regularly to adapt to AI’s rapid evolution, in order to provide training courses and guidance to train staff. With a robust training infrastructure in place, the UK can develop the next generation of generative AI experts to continue leading AI innovation.”