The overall number of patents in the artificial intelligence field expanded in the 1990s, stagnated in the early 2000s, expanded again in the late 2000s, and sharply increased in the mid- and late 2010s. Korea has followed a similar trend, albeit with some distinctions.
Compared to the overall trend, Korea has a relatively higher proportion of artificial intelligence patents related to communication and devices, but a lower proportion in the application sector―including finance, education and security.
Globally, the number of patents in digital processing systems, data processing, and artificial intelligence applications is increasing rapidly. In Korea, the large patent growth rates have occurred in the communication, data processing and battery sectors.
The National Science Foundation in the US concentrates its investment in the application sector of artificial intelligence.
Korea is expected to strategically nurture the medical and healthcare sector―one of the application and utilization areas of artificial intelligence―in which it possesses comparative strength. To this end, it will be necessary to pilot intelligence information technology for the development of skilled workforce in the healthcare sector.
*The full-text is available in Korean only.