Analyzing the Role of Governmental Organizations in Artificial Intelligence Innovation: A Patent-Based Perspective

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionize numerous industries and applications. While government organizations actively support the AI innovation ecosystem through funding and policy making, their active and direct participation through patenting has not been well studied. Here, we analyzes the patenting activity of govern- ment employees and compares it to that of non-governmental organizations, focusing on the field of AI. Applying various natural language processing (NLP) techniques to the AI patents, we found that governmental organizations more focus on public benefit and national-level interests, rather than commercialization, which is a main focus of non-governmental organizations. Also, our results reveal that governmental organizations have focused on specific fields related to national security and fundamental inventions. Our findings contribute to the literature on the role of government in fostering innovation in the field of AI and have implications for policy makers and stakeholders involved in AI R&D funding and commercialization.