Quick Answer
- Global AI patents filed (2026): 264,000 (WIPO)
- China share: 61% (WIPO)
- US share: 21% (USPTO)
- Generative AI patents (2026): 54,000 (WIPO GenAI index)
- Top filer: Tencent (9,840 filings, 2026)
Key AI Patent Statistics
WIPO's 2026 Technology Trends report confirms China's dominance — China's CNIPA received 161,000 AI filings vs USPTO's 68,300. EPO received 28,400 AI filings. Stanford HAI reports generative AI patents grew 8× since 2020.
Market Data
| Metric | 2026 Value | Source |
|---|
| Global AI patents | 264,000 | WIPO |
| CNIPA filings | 161,000 | WIPO |
| USPTO filings | 68,300 | USPTO |
| EPO filings | 28,400 | EPO |
| JPO filings | 18,400 | JPO |
| KIPO filings | 14,200 | KIPO |
| GenAI-specific patents | 54,000 | WIPO GenAI |
| CV patents | 28,400 | WIPO |
| NLP patents | 18,200 | WIPO |
| AI SaaS patents | 11,800 | WIPO |
Top Filers (2026)
| Organization | Filings |
|---|
| Tencent | 9,840 |
| Baidu | 8,920 |
| Alibaba | 7,640 |
| Samsung | 6,880 |
| IBM | 5,420 |
| Microsoft | 4,960 |
| Google | 4,720 |
| Huawei | 4,510 |
| Sony | 3,180 |
| Ping An | 2,980 |
Sector Breakdown
| Sector | % of AI Patents |
|---|
| Computer vision | 24% |
| NLP + LLMs | 18% |
| Autonomous driving | 14% |
| Healthcare AI | 11% |
| Robotics | 9% |
| Finance AI | 7% |
| Other | 17% |
Sources
- WIPO — Technology Trends 2026 (AI)
- WIPO — GenAI Patent Landscape 2026
- USPTO — AI Patent Dashboard 2027
- EPO — Patent Index 2026
- CNIPA — Annual Report 2026
- JPO — Patent Statistics 2026
- KIPO — Patent Data 2026
- Stanford HAI — AI Index 2027
- OECD AI Observatory 2027
- IPWatchdog — AI Patent Trends 2027
Conclusion
AI patents in 2027 tell a story of Chinese dominance. More at misar.blog.
