China wrestles with ‘quantity over quality’ in generative AI patents

China has filed for more patents than any other country, but US export controls are not its only hurdle.

China has emerged as the world’s top producer of generative AI patents, but it is struggling to turn many of its ideas into action thanks to US export controls and longstanding struggles with its innovation culture at home.

In July, the UN’s intellectual property agency reported that China had filed more than 38,000 generative AI patents over the past decade, more than all other countries combined.

Chinese companies and institutions rank in the global top 10 patent holders, including Tencent, Ping An Insurance, Baidu, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Four US companies are in the top 10, but Silicon Valley and US research institutions filed just 6,276 over the same period from 2014-2023. South Korea, in third place, filed 4,155 inventions, followed by 3,409 from Japan, and 1,350 from India, according to WIPO data.

Despite this flurry of activity, however, China is still behind the US in terms of impact because the high number of patents only tells part of the story, according to Van Anh Le, an assistant professor in intellectual property law at Durham University in the United Kingdom.

“The sheer number of patents filed or granted is often mistakenly seen as a direct indicator of innovation. A high volume of patents can be driven by factors unrelated to groundbreaking innovation, such as strategic filings, differing national policies, or even non-innovative motives,” Le said. Patents are also designed to protect innovation but do not necessarily guarantee their commercial success, she added.

Despite the lower overall number of patents, US