China now issues more AI patents than the US, but innovation styles differ
What happened
Researchers have developed a better way to count artificial intelligence patents. They found that China now issues more AI patents each year than the United States. However, how companies and universities invent AI is different in each country.
Why it matters
This paper provides a clearer picture of the global AI patent landscape. It shows that while China leads in sheer volume of AI patents, the U.S. still has a concentration of innovation among large companies. The findings also suggest that AI patents still carry a significant market value premium for listed firms in both countries. This indicates that AI innovation remains a key driver of corporate value.
The signal
Watch whether the geographic and institutional differences in AI patenting between the U.S. and China lead to different types of AI applications or market dominance in specific AI subfields over the next five years.