Asia IP

China's leading search engine Baidu is investing heavily in developing artificial intelligence technologies, with more than 500 patent applications filed in the sector worldwide.

China Daily reported that it has more than 270 applications filed in neuro-linguistic programming, 120 in the deep learning (machine learning using algorithms) sector and scores of patents, as well as applications in big data, image identification and voice technologies.

The technologies are expected to end manual online search. Voices or smart phone cameras alone will help find out targeted information, according to Baidu.

Baidu has conducted research into using computer technologies to simulate how a human brain works and makes a logical judgment when supplied with various data since 2013, Chinese media report.

Baidu's R&D spending surpassed RMB15.87 billion (US$2.56 billion) over the past five years, with annual average growth of more than 70%.

In 2014 alone, expenditure reached RMB6.99 billion, some 14% of its yearly business revenue.

An IT patent report released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at an intellectual property forum in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in April shows that some 2.48 million IT patent applications were filed in China in the first half of last year, an 18.7% rise year-on-year.

Chinese dotcoms reported "explosive growth" in instant messaging, online payment and games, social media, cloud computing or big data, research engines, and internet security in 2014, according to analysis of domestic internet technological innovation jointly released by Peking University and the China Law Association on Science and Technology.