Technology platforms: AI and medicine

Discover what patent data reveal about innovation in AI in medicine. Drawing on the EPO’s technology insight report, this lecture explores the main trends, leading countries and applicants across diagnostics, therapy, drug development, medical robotics, and patient care and hospital logistics. It takes a closer look at patient digital twins and examines how the use of AI techniques in medicine compares with AI across all technology fields, highlighting common patterns and distinctive emphases.

The lecture also explains how the statistics were generated, from technology mapping with patent examiners and targeted patent searches to PATSTAT data enrichment, applicant name harmonisation and fractional counting. Participants will gain insight into both the findings and the methodological choices that shape their interpretation, including the strengths and limitations of patent analysis.