AI, driverless cars among tech patent leaders
Quantum computers offer ‘whole new level’ of data processing
Artificial intelligence, quantum computers and autonomous vehicles are among the fastest-growing areas of technology, with American companies often in the lead, according to a new study of U.S. patents issued over the past five years.
International Business Machines received the most patents in machine learning and quantum computers, while Ford Motor is the most active in areas of vehicle navigation and control systems, according to the analysis by Fairview Research’s IFI Claims Patent Services.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 352,013 patents last year, a 1% decrease that’s likely attributable to work-flow changes because of the coronavirus pandemic, said IFI Claims CEO Mike Baycroft. IBM topped the list of patent recipients for the 28th year with 9,130 patents, while Samsung Electronics of South Korea was second with 6,415 new patents issued last year. Of the top-10 fastest growing fields, IBM also was No. 1 in areas of quantum computers, machine learning and computer systems using neural networks that imitate how the human brain works. Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft also ranked in the top five of those three areas.
“We are focused on areas where we think it will keep IBM competitive in the future,” said Kathryn Guarini, chief operating officer of IBM Research. “We see cloud, AI and quantum as the trifecta of technologies for the IT industry.”
The company, based in Armonk, New York, has integrated artificial intelligence into all areas of its business, she said. One of its new patents is for ways AI can understand conversational tones, such as when a person contacts customer service. It’s just one example that backs up a Brookings Institution report that AI is likely to transform white collar and higher paid jobs.
“It’s never our intent to replace the human,” Guarini said. “Our hope and our intent is that it makes all of us more efficient and improves productivity.”
Quantum computers, which use the movement of subatomic particles to process data in amounts that modern computers can’t handle, could create new ways for drug and agriculture companies to discover new compounds and financial service companies to improve encryption.
With the classical computers, “we’ve made tremendous progress, making it more efficient and secure,” Guarini said. “But there has not been a revolution in how the technology works, for decades and decades. Quantum is on a whole new level.”