Brief Overview

AI has been identified by our government as one of the most potent weapons to fight against the multiple challenges that the country is facing. Some of the noticeable examples are tools like MyGov Corona Helpdesk, Aarogyasetu and CoWin that the government leverage to combat the ongoing pandemic. However, to stay ahead and build a strong AI-ready future, innovation must be fostered.

Patents are considered as one of the primary ways of measuring innovation and efforts must be channelized to encourage and empower AI innovators in the country. To understand the AI patent landscape in India, a detailed research and analysis was carried out by NASSCOM and INDIAai. INDIAai is the central hub for everything AI in India and beyond. It is a joint initiative of MeitY, NeGD and NASSCOM. The website aims to be the trusted content for those who have a passion for AI or willing to venture into AI.

The key findings of the report have been summarized below.

• Focus on innovation accelerated during the pandemic

More than 70% of the technology patents filed in India relate to one or more emerging technology domain. At an international level, the patent filing grew at 4% in the year 2020. Interestingly, AI accounts for 6% of all emerging tech patents in India.

• India is emerging as a key destination for AI innovation

Innovation in AI has gained significant traction over the last decade as India is ranked 8th in terms of AI patent filing and 4th in terms of AI research papers

Some of the key trends in AI patent filing in India are:

• Over 5,000 AI patents filed over the last decade in India- 94% of them filed in last 5 years
• 60%+ of patents filed originated in India
• Consumer Electronics/ Personal Computing Devices and Healthcare were leading vertical focus areas
• With 93% share, Machine Learning was the most popular AI technique; Computer Vision with a share of 36% was the leading functional area
• Among assignees, Technology sector leads AI patents with a share of 47%
• 63% of granted patents belong to MNCs
• AI patent filings in India will maintain an upward trajectory which will be mostly driven by growing importance of patent filing and protecting intellectual property. However, the filing will continue across diverse application areas
• India’s AI success story can face challenges if adequate financial support, effective policies and mentorship are not laid out for start-ups

The key recommendations that the report provides are:

• Coalition of stakeholders to mentor and support start-ups and small companies
• Building awareness on importance of patent filing
• Curb inefficiencies in patent examination process

The report also highlights some of the successful AI patents in India that have been applied to the industries. The most notable ones being Niramai Health Analytx and Grahaa Space.

Niramai Health Analytx have been granted 4 patents in India and 10 in the US. The major patent which NIRAMAI has developed related to a new technology for detecting early-stage breast cancer in a radiation[1]free manner through an AI-based analysis of thermal images which help in assessing the breast health and lactation readiness of mothers-to-be.

Grahaa Space has done a provisional filing of its System and Method to stream high-resolution videos from low earth orbit. The proposed system consists of a cluster of earth observation nanosatellites that would be capable of streaming high-resolution videos of client-defined areas of interest.