Patents for AI inventions in smart farming – challenges, strategies and enforcement

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an economically and technologically defining key technology in the field of smart farming. The article highlights the strong growth in AI patent filings, analyzes the patenting and enforcement of corresponding AI inventions, and explains core patent law requirements such as technical character, inventive step, and sufficiency of disclosure. Due to their close interaction with physical processes, AI solutions in smart farming are generally patentable – both in Europe and in other major markets such as the United States.