According to a United Nations report, inventors in China are leading the world in filing patents for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), significantly outpacing filings from the U.S., South Korea, Japan, India, the UK and Germany.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported that China filed 38,210 GenAI patents from 2014 to 2023. This amount is six times more than the U.S., the second highest, with 6,276 filings.

“Generative AI has emerged as a game-changing technology with the potential to transform how we work, live and play,” said Daren Tang, director-general of WIPO. “By analyzing patenting trends and data, WIPO aims to provide a clearer understanding of where this rapidly evolving technology is being developed and its future direction.”

However, according to a report by Sagacious IP, one of the largest IP solutions providers globally that help organizations monetize, defend and expand their IP portfolios, the number of patents filed by Chinese innovators outside China is only 1,030. This is a mere 3.5 percent of China’s total GenAI patents.

In a LinkedIn post, Sagacious IP wrote: “This revelation starkly challenges China’s perceived global leadership in GenAI. While China excels at domestic patent filing, it falls short in global impact. What does this mean for the AI landscape? Which countries are the real pioneers?”

So which one is leading globally?

- Excel V. Dyquiangco