Medtech AI Patents Surge Ahead

The volume of patent applications relating to artificial intelligence (AI) filed by the medtech industry has almost quadrupled since 2018, a new report has found.

Marks & Clerk’s “AI Report 2023” also showed the percentage growth of AI-related medtech patent applications surpassed that of overall AI growth between 2014 and 2021.

“The medtech sector’s dominance in AI-based patent applications reflects its place at the very forefront of global innovation,” said Marks & Clerk executive, Tim Hargreaves in a statement.

“As the sector continues to drive forward the development of new technologies aimed at enhancing healthcare, it’s heartening to see the industry taking proper steps to secure its innovations.”

Report co-author, Mike Williams added: “Given the 18-month delay between patent filing and publication, the recent surge in generative AI is not yet reflected in the current patent data.

 “What is clear is that data-intensive industries like the medtech sector stand to benefit considerably from the evolution of AI technologies, which are bringing the world closer to its data-driven future.”

The report uses data from the European Patent Office (EPO) to track and analyse global trends in AI-based patent applications.

Check out the full report for further details.