The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today launched Patent Trends Update in GenAI, the latest report in its Technology SPARK Report Series, revealing that patenting in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is accelerating at an unprecedented pace.
Building on WIPO's 2024 Patent Landscape Report: Generative Artificial Intelligence, the new report extends the analysis through 2025 and confirms that the field has moved from early-stage experimentation to large-scale commercial deployment.
Key findings include:
- Explosive growth: Published GenAI patent families rose from around 14,000 in 2023 to over 37,000 in 2025. More than 56,000 new families were published in 2024 and 2025 alone, exceeding the entire output of the preceding decade (2014–2023). GenAI now accounts for 8.7% of all AI patenting, up from 6.1% in 2023.
- A technological turning point: Large language models (LLMs) have overtaken generative adversarial networks (GANs) as the dominant model type, outnumbering them nearly three to one in 2025. Diffusion models have climbed to third place, marking a shift away from the adversarial image generation that defined the field's earlier years.
- New modes on the rise: Text-related patent filings more than tripled in two years, closing the gap with image/video, while software/code and 3D modeling emerged among the fastest-growing categories reflecting GenAI's expanding reach.
- A broadening cast of players: Alongside established software and internet firms, new entrants such as Nvidia, State Grid Corporation of China, Inspur Group and Bosch signal that telecommunications, infrastructure, industrial and utility companies are increasingly staking claims in GenAI.
The report's message for policymakers, businesses and IP professionals is clear: the GenAI patent landscape is evolving faster than ever, and the strategic decisions being made now will shape competitive positions for years to come.