Guidelines For The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Patent Examination Procedures

Introduction

The Indian Patent Act, 1970, lays the foundational framework for Patents in India, this framework incorporates the process and the requisites for obtaining the patent registration by an applicant. Patent examination is a vital step in the entire process, it is through this step that the eligibility of an invention to obtain a patent registration is determined.

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence technology and its ever widening uses, the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks published the Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Patent Examination Procedures (“Indian Patent Office AI guidelines”) on August 7, 2026¹. These guidelines lay the foundation for the examiners to efficiently use AI tools in the examination process to boost the output without compromising the standards of examination of patent applications. Furthermore, striking the right balance of AI usage and human oversight and accountability, with these