In the field of intellectual property information and analysis, we have moved from paper files, via electronic and searchable files including metadata, to an AI influenced IP environment.

AI usually stands for Artificial Intelligence, but perhaps we should consider calling it Augmented Intelligence instead?

To emphasize this, if we look at how AI (whatever the acronym) will be used for IP analysis, there are several ways AI can help. First, the overwhelming volume of patent documents, currently exceeding 140 million, is an almost insurmountable task to go through manually. In this area, AI can play a crucial role by filtering and organizing the documents to highlight the most relevant ones.

Language represents another important aspect, given that more than 60% of all patent documents published annually are in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. In recent years, machine learning and translation have taken great strides and become much more reliable and are today a must.

However, no matter how much AI is used, it ultimately requires a human to carefully review the results and make the final decisions.

Thus, AI will not replace humans but rather increase the demands on us. For example, if machines can handle routine tasks in legal research, it will lead to an increase in legal analysis. This in turn will require more lawyers who can apply their expertise to interpret and use these results appropriately. Consequently, it is an example of the growing need for more, not fewer, qualified lawyers.

Therefore, it is more appropriate to see AI as an acronym for Augmented Intelligence, underlining its role in complementing and enriching human capabilities.