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Measuring artificial intelligence: A systematic assessment and implications for governance

Author

Listed:
  • Hötte, Kerstin
  • Tarannum, Taheya
  • Verendel, Vilhelm
  • Bennett, Lauren

Abstract

Governing artificial intelligence (AI) is high on the political agenda, but it is still not clear how to define and measure it. We compare four approaches to identifying AI patented inventions that reflect different ways of understanding AI with divergent definitions. Using US patents from 1990-2019, we assess the extent to which each approach qualifies AI as a general purpose technology (GPT) and study patterns of concentration, which both are criteria relevant for regulation. The four approaches overlap on only 1.37% of patents and vary in scale, accounting for shares that range from 3-17% of all US patents in 2019. The smallest set of AI patents in our sample, identified by the latest AI keywords, is most GPT-like with high levels of growth and generality. All four approaches show AI inventions to be concentrated in few firms, confirming worries about competition. Our results suggest that regulation may not be straightforward, as the identification of AI inventions ultimately depends on how AI is defined.

Suggested Citation

  • Hötte, Kerstin & Tarannum, Taheya & Verendel, Vilhelm & Bennett, Lauren, 2024. "Measuring artificial intelligence: A systematic assessment and implications for governance," INET Oxford Working Papers 2024-02, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    • Handle: RePEc:amz:wpaper:2024-02
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Artificial Intelligence; Governance; General Purpose Technology; Concentration; Patent; Classification;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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