As artificial intelligence (AI) applications become increasingly popular, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is planning to use AI tools to improve the efficiency of patent examination. On June 4, 2025, the USPTO issued a request for information (RFI) through the official website of the US government, SAM.gov, seeking AI technology to support patent examination related work. SAM.gov is a free, centralized source for discovering and locking in contract opportunities with the US government.
According to the accompanying statement of objectives, the scope of this RFI includes providing “AI tools to assist in completing exhaustive search reports” to analyze the relationship between prior art and the claims asserted in the application, including “using machine learning and AI to conduct detailed searches after reading the specification.” The patent examination tasks that the USPTO needs AI technology to support involve utility, plant and design patent applications, covering:
(1) Conduct a prior art search based on the patent claims of the application;
(2) Compare the search results with the claims of the application;
(3) record the location of claim elements in the prior art;
(4) provide prior art citations that are relevant to the novelty or non-obviousness of the claimed claims;
(5) Produce a final report similar to a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Chapter I search report, a PCT Chapter II examination report or a U.S. examination notice, with corresponding functions in applying the novelty or non-obviousness standards.
Therefore, according to the RFI and the statement, the USPTO is seeking an automated system for reviewing the novelty and non-obviousness clauses in patents.
The statement also noted that future improvements may include the use of AI tools to assist in the review of formalities issues in patent applications and 35 USC §§ 101–112.
The RFI pointed out that one of the implementation goals of such AI solutions is to reduce the backlog of patent applications. If these AI tools are successfully implemented in the USPTO and used for patent examination, whether they can effectively shorten the application cycle and reduce the backlog of applications will be a topic of concern to patent applicants around the world.
The USPTO's plan to use AI tools for patent examination demonstrates the great potential of applying AI to the field of intellectual property. This move is highly consistent with PageCode's business goals. It can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of patent examination, reduce applicants' waiting time, and meet the needs of companies to quickly promote innovation. PageCode will continue to pay attention to and analyze such technological trends and provide customers with the most cutting-edge consulting and coaching services.
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