Hitachi adds generative AI features to patent information service

Hitachi, Ltd. has announced the addition of generative AI-powered “AI Summary” and “AI Search” functions to its patent information service, Shareresearch, effective October 5.

The “AI Summary” feature analyzes the full text of patent gazettes to provide structured summaries focusing on four key areas: technical field, target technology, issues, and solutions. This tool is designed to help researchers understand the essence of an invention quickly, even without specialized patent expertise. Internal testing indicated that the feature could reduce the time required to review a single patent by up to 90%.

The “AI Search” function allows users to input ideas or technical themes via chat. The AI then assists throughout the entire patent investigation process, from organizing search criteria to narrowing down results. It evaluates the relevance of extracted patents by comparing them to the user's input, helping users prioritize the most pertinent information. Internal verification showed that this feature could reduce the number of patent gazettes requiring in-depth reading by up to 80%.