Patent Office seeks to grow AI innovation ecosystem, cut application backlog

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office wants to ramp up both its adoption and scaling of artificial intelligence as a means to make the patent examination process faster with lower wait times for applicants.

In a request for information posted Wednesday, USPTO outlines its plan to identify a group of industry partners that would supply AI tools to help patent examiners and trademark examining attorneys in their jobs.

The agency cites process automation, new code, workflow improvements and secure cloud access as key areas of interest for RFI respondents to consider.

USPTO especially is interested in bringing down the backlog of patent applications, as well as protecting the data of applicants from all types of intellectual property theft.

Intellectual property policy development is one of several priorities for USPTO under its artificial intelligence strategy unveiled in January.

Other key aspects of that strategy include the development of greater AI expertise, responsible AI use, and building capabilities through product and computational development.

The RFI represents USPTO’s casting call out into the industry for help in doing that, but respondents should be forewarned about the agency’s plans for the submissions, even as the agency desires to facilitate a broader innovation ecosystem and lean on commercial providers in it.

USPTO plans to hold “sole rights” to all proprietary data, source code, models, simulations, technologies, data rights and any other intellectual property for any IP developed under the RFI.

Responses to the request for information are due by June 17.