Technical trends of artificial intelligence in standard-essential patents

Purpose Defining key artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is especially fundamental because AI applications involve the development of multiple technical fields and have the potential to generate numerous business opportunities in the future. However, most related studies have examined patent grants granted by or patent applications filed to major patent offices; few studies have employed the perspective of standard-essential patents (SEPs) from a holistic technical view. In addition, because few studies have explored the status signals of countries in relation to SEPs, the present study integrated “country” into the model and determined differences among countries in terms of their technological focus. Design/methodology/approach In this study, through patent technological network analysis in various periods, the author not only observed the focus fields of AI-related SEPs but also examined temporal trends to determine technical development trends. Findings This study identified technologies that have been key players in the SEP network in recent years; these technologies were centered on electric digital data processing, recognition of data and transmission of digital information. Moreover, many of these technologies have been applied in areas such as management and commerce and radio navigation. Furthermore, the USA plays a crucial role in the global development of AI technical network. Originality/value This study constructs a technical network model to identify key technologies and trends that can serve as a reference for national research and development resource allocation.