UN finds 'quantum leap' in AI-related patent filings

Artificial intelligence is a key element of many computer products made by tech firms and institutions in the United States, Japan and China especially, including smartphones, connected speakers and self-driving cars.

The UN noted Thursday that patent filings for artificial intelligence-based inventions have exploded in recent years, with more than half of all such patents filed since 2013.

New data from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) documented a massive recent surge in AI-based innovations, indicating that such technologies have taken a giant step out of the theoretical realm.