Rise of Indian AI IP: Key Trends, Generative Spark, and More Jio Platforms filed 1,037 international patents in 2024-25 fiscal year followed by TVS Motor Co (238), CSIR (70), IIT Madras (44), Ola Electric Mobility (31) and others.

India is hard at work to shed the image of a consumer market and position itself as a hub for creators. From manufacturing to cutting-edge technologies, there's an all-round effort to be more than just the "back office" of the world. This change is now reflected in different categories, including intellectual property. The latest TCS-CII report on AI and IP further corroborates the change and paints a new picture of the India stack which is now not only a user of the latest tech but also creating and owning it.

AI patenting trend in India

The report titled Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property - Navigating Opportunities and Challenges in a Transformative Era, highlights that AI patent filings in India rose significantly after 2018, with 83,059 patents filed between 2019 and compared to 3,931 from 2010 to 2018.

Even as the numbers are encouraging, Indian MSMEs face challenges in intellectual property protection due to technical complexity, ambiguous ownership, and evolving legislation. More on that later.

The report says that the AI patent landscape trends in India hints at emergence of inventions led through Generative AI. Similarly, AI Agent and agentic AI patents are also emerging. The trends reflect a "systematic progression" in AI-led innovations, designed to automate processes, improve decision making capabilities and personalise customer experiences.

The top 10 patent applicants were Samsung Electronics, Chandigarh University, Jain Deemed to be University, Qualcomm Inc, Galgotias University, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Lovely Professional University, Sanskriti University, Tata Consultancy Service Ltd, and Chandigarh Group of Colleges.

^{AI patenting trend in India}

As far as recent filings go, generative AI patents account 14.51% whereas AI Agent patents are still at a nascent stage with mere 498 applications. Even though it's a smaller number, applications show a growing interest in AI Agent patents

Moreover, a steady increase has been observed in patent applications filed by domestic applicants, rising from 53% in 2019 to 82% in 2024. As of now, 13% of AI applications have been granted, with grant rates soaring from 0.7% in 2019 to 32% in 2024.

The Generative Spark

The real headliner in the AI patent trends is generative AI. Since the arrival of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms, Indian companies have been quick to respond and leverage these. The report too notes this trend as Indian innovators are now quickly moving from the bare minimum AI to more innovative and intuitive generative AI.

^{GenAI patent filing trends}

Even as India has missed the AI bus, Indian innovators are betting big on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Large Language Models (LLMs). For now, text-based genAIs constitute 64% of this. And it's not very surprising that India sits on large amounts of data, especially in different languages and dialects.

^{Patenting trend of major GenAI models, modes, and subject matter of patents between 2019 and 2025}

"AI systems moved from basic input/output to real-time, personalized, and emotionally aware interactions. In 2019, GenAI patents related to natural language primarily focused on natural language queries, language processing techniques, and data analysis. By 2025, the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) has expanded considerably, with an increased number of patents covering applications such as personalized recommendations, speech recognition, predictive analytics, and user engagement," according to the report.

"Machine learning and NLP are now deeply embedded in user-facing applications. The evolution of speech-related patents can be further associated with virtual assistants amounting approximately to 20 in 2019; rising to 245 patents concerning AI assistants by mid-2025, reflecting the growth driven by advancements in user interactivity," it added.

The report notes that GenAI models employ various types and modes of input and output data, such as text, image/video, and voice. A large portion of GenAI patents in India are related to text data, indicating activity in the development of language models and text processing technologies, with text-based patents making up nearly 64% of GenAI patents.

Patents concerning speech, sound, and music account for about 20% of GenAI patents in India. Image-based GenAI patent applications represent another area of interest. Patent families in other modes, such as 3D image models and molecules/genes, constitute less than 1%.

The Agentic Era

As mentioned above, generative AI may have hogged all the limelight but there's increasing interest in AI Agents. The number of patents for AI Agents have nearly doubled in recent years.

"As India advances toward its $5 trillion economic vision, AI-driven innovation will be a cornerstone of growth. At TCS, our unwavering emphasis on embedding AI at scale and building strong IP capabilities reflects this commitment, as we set course to become the world's largest AI-led technology services company," ," Ashvini Saxena, VP and Head, TCS Components Engineering Group (CEG) and Digital Software and Solutions (DSS) said in a statement.

"With GenAI, agentic systems, and LLMs reshaping industries, widespread adoption and scaling across all sectors is critical. Leveraging one of the world's strongest technology talent pools, India can fast-track progress by balancing innovation, robust IP management, and entrepreneurship—positioning itself as a global AI powerhouse. This report affirms that a balanced roadmap combining innovation, regulatory foresight, and capacity building is essential for AI to empower India's small businesses and foster resilient, future-ready enterprises," Saxena further said.

"The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) believes that the industry must take a proactive role in embracing innovation and intellectual property as key drivers of growth. To achieve this transformation, strong collaboration between industry and government is essential. Government support in terms of policy frameworks, incentives, and infrastructure will be critical to enable businesses to scale and compete globally in the evolving IP-driven landscape," Vivek Shah, Vice-Chair CII - National Committee on IP & CEO Meril Life Sciences said.

Future: Challenges & Opportunities

The AI patent filings are in line with overall patent filings surge in the country. For instance, Entrepreneur India has learned that IIT Madras students, researchers and faculty filed a total of 417 patents during the 2024-25 financial year. This includes 298 Indian patents and 119 international patents. Additionally, the institute filed 39 designs, 6 copyrights, and 1 trademark, bringing the total IP filings to 463 for 2024-25. It's worth noting that IIT Madras had filed 199 patents in the financial year 2020-21.

"Filing patents leads to the protection of the intellectual property generated out of research projects. The intellectual property is wealth creation for the innovators and ultimately for the country, as it leads to new businesses and products from commercialization. It also increases the self-reliance of the country, and reduces dependence on technologies from other countries," Profession Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research), told Entrepreneur India.

Separately, the Annual Report published by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks for 2024-25 reveals Jio Platforms is India's largest global IP creator in 2024-25. The report adds that Jio Platforms filed 1,037 international patents in the said fiscal year, ahead of TVS Motor Co (238), CSIR (70), IIT Madras (44), Ola Electric Mobility (31) and others.

^{Top 10 PCT Filings by Indian Applicants (RO/IN) in 2024-25}

Even as there's enough reason for creators to cheer, there are a few challenges that India needs to address to accommodate an all-round growth in intellectual properties, especially including smaller industries.

The TCS-CII report notes that AI adoption in the MSME sector was still in the early stages. While larger enterprises were leveraging AI for automation, the MSMEs were cautious and had limited resources. However, awareness around AI's potential to drive efficiency, automation, and growth started to increase. But there was a general skill gap in understanding nuances of AI.

It also highlighted that MSMEs have Limited access to AI infrastructure—the costs associated with AI infrastructure were a barrier for MSMEs. Cloudbased AI solutions were making AI more accessible at affordable costs. Moreover there's also concerns around data privacy as many smaller businesses lack robust data security measures, which is critical when using AI tools.

The report further calls for ethical AI use, and strengthening IP protection in India.

"These policies must address accountability and responsibility in multi-stakeholder collaborations among vendors, enterprises, and regulators to ensure a clear framework for development. Furthermore, they should articulate the importance of aligning IP management with responsible AI principles and emerging technology trends. Finally, the framework should provide specific guidelines for AI implementation tailored to large enterprises and MSMEs to ensure scalability and compliance across all sectors," the report said.