The "Gold Rush" in AI and Robotics Patenting Activity. Do innovation systems have a role?
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866918372468326400 |
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| author | Guidetti, Giovanni Leoncini, Riccardo Macaluso, Mariele |
| author_facet | Guidetti, Giovanni Leoncini, Riccardo Macaluso, Mariele |
| contents | This paper studies patenting trends in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics from 1980 to 2019. We introduce a novel distinction between traditional robotics and robotics embedding AI functionalities. Using patent data and a time-series econometric approach, we examine whether these domains share common long-run dynamics and how their trajectories differ across major innovation systems. Three main findings emerge. First, patenting activity in core AI, traditional robots, and AI-enhanced robots follows distinct trajectories, with AI-enhanced robotics accelerating sharply from the early 2010s. Second, structural breaks occur predominantly after 2010, indicating an acceleration in the technological dynamics associated with AI diffusion. Third, long-run relationships between AI and robotics vary systematically across countries: China exhibits strong integration between core AI and AI-enhanced robots, alongside a substantial contribution from universities and the public sector, whereas the United States displays a more market-oriented patenting structure and weaker integration between AI and robots. Europe, Japan, and South Korea show intermediate patterns. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_05034 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The "Gold Rush" in AI and Robotics Patenting Activity. Do innovation systems have a role? Guidetti, Giovanni Leoncini, Riccardo Macaluso, Mariele General Economics Economics This paper studies patenting trends in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics from 1980 to 2019. We introduce a novel distinction between traditional robotics and robotics embedding AI functionalities. Using patent data and a time-series econometric approach, we examine whether these domains share common long-run dynamics and how their trajectories differ across major innovation systems. Three main findings emerge. First, patenting activity in core AI, traditional robots, and AI-enhanced robots follows distinct trajectories, with AI-enhanced robotics accelerating sharply from the early 2010s. Second, structural breaks occur predominantly after 2010, indicating an acceleration in the technological dynamics associated with AI diffusion. Third, long-run relationships between AI and robotics vary systematically across countries: China exhibits strong integration between core AI and AI-enhanced robots, alongside a substantial contribution from universities and the public sector, whereas the United States displays a more market-oriented patenting structure and weaker integration between AI and robots. Europe, Japan, and South Korea show intermediate patterns. |
| title | The "Gold Rush" in AI and Robotics Patenting Activity. Do innovation systems have a role? |
| topic | General Economics Economics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05034 |