Artificial intelligence in the service of innovation: an analysis of patent data
LIFT Working Paper 2025-02 — July 2025
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on economic growth depends largely on their ability to increase research productivity. In this article, we propose an original measure of the diffusion of AI across technologies, based on patents filed in the United States since 1990. Our methodology identifies patents that incorporate AI through their references to academic publications classified as AI. As of December 2024, about 5% of patents filed can thus be characterized as using AI. This approach captures the integration of AI into other technological fields, consistent with its nature as a general-purpose technology. We show that these “AI” patents systematically display higher quality indicators than other patents, according to several standard metrics in the literature.
Innovation, AI, R&D, patents
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on economic growth depends largely on their ability to increase research productivity. In this article, we propose an original measure of the diffusion of AI across technologies, based on patents filed in the United States since 1990. Our methodology identifies patents that incorporate AI through their references to academic publications classified as AI. As of December 2024, about 5% of patents filed can thus be characterized as using AI. This approach captures the integration of AI into other technological fields, consistent with its nature as a general-purpose technology. We show that these “AI” patents systematically display higher quality indicators than other patents, according to several standard metrics in the literature.
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