Annual GenAI patent-family growth
2017–2023 · global · Historical observation
Published patent families, not grants or unique commercial products. Publication typically lags filing.[O23]
Research outlook · 2027–2031
Seven fields.
New questions to pursue.
Explore the forces shaping research, then connect them to documented Bar-Ilan capabilities and experiments worth discussing.
Original five: 6 September 2026 snapshot from Patentonator. Two additions: 7 September 2026 review. Field selection is a qualitative forecast with low confidence, not a global ranking.
AI & discovery · Original outlook
From impressive models to dependable science.
AI is becoming both a research discipline and a method used across the sciences. The opportunity is making it reliable enough to trust.
Scientific adoption, inventive activity and industry expectations point in the same direction. The next challenge is validation: useful results that survive contact with real experiments.[O23][O25][O32][O36]
Adoption is not research quality. Historical patent growth does not predict growth through 2031.
Research questions
- Reliable reasoning & evaluation
- Efficient learning
- Reproducible scientific workflows
- Experimental validation
Inspect evidence and confidence
Papers in the AI-adoption study
1980–2025 · six natural-science fields · Study coverage
This is the size of the corpus studied, not 41.3 million AI papers. Adoption accelerated; causal research-quality gains remain unproven.[O25]
Employers expecting AI transformation
Survey outlook to 2030 · Survey expectation
Over 1,000 surveyed employers; not a representative count of researchers or measured future adoption.[O32]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Ori ErnstSource-aligned summarization for auditable scientific synthesis.[93][94][95]
- Ethan FetayaRobustness and uncertainty tests for scientific models.[73]
- Jacob GoldbergerStatistical and multimodal inference methods.[75][76]
Existing proposals to explore
Energy & materials · Original outlook
More electricity. Smarter ways to use it.
Storage, grids and enabling materials sit at the intersection of electrification, resilience and rising computing demand.
Deployment is exposing gaps in storage, grid integration and materials performance. Research can improve the physical systems that make reliable, affordable electricity possible.[O20][O26][O34]
Much grid delay comes from permitting, finance and construction. Investment is not the same as R&D.
Research questions
- Durable, affordable storage
- Battery safety & recycling
- Grid integration
- Power electronics & materials
Inspect evidence and confidence
Power-sector battery investment
2025 · global estimate · Investment estimate
Estimated deployment investment, not an R&D budget.[O20]
Battery patent applications
2025 vs 2024 · EPO · Historical observation
Applications at the European Patent Office from applicants worldwide; not global patent-family growth.[O26]
Annual grid investment
IEA World Energy Investment 2025 · Investment estimate
Compared with around $1 trillion in generation. Neither measure is research expenditure.[O20]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Yatir SadiaFunctional ceramics and ionic transport as enabling materials; energy-system fit still needs a specific use case.[31]
- Adam TemanLow-power circuit methods for measured energy efficiency.[1]
- Alex FishMemory and circuit efficiency with explicit hardware tradeoffs.[89]
Existing proposals to explore
Biotech & health · Original outlook
Moving biological insight into useful care.
A substantial research base meets a difficult translation problem: turning discoveries into reproducible, manufacturable interventions.
The scale of biomedical research and sustained attention to data and AI make this a major field. Its future growth is selective and uncertain, with clinical validation still essential.[O22][O26][O28]
EPO biotechnology applications fell 3.3% in 2025. A large research base does not prove accelerating growth.
Research questions
- Computational biology
- Biological engineering
- Biomarkers & delivery
- Manufacturing & clinical validation
Inspect evidence and confidence
Global publications in health sciences
2024 · global · Research scale
A broad health-science publication share, not the share in precision medicine or a growth rate.[O28]
Business biotechnology R&D
2023 · United States · Reported research expenditure
U.S.-only business research spending; technology focus categories can overlap.[O28]
Biotechnology patent applications
2025 vs 2024 · EPO · Contrary signal
Pharmaceutical applications also fell 6.3%; this does not establish a global decline in biomedical research.[O26]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed · Unresolved disagreement retained
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Tomer KaliskySingle-cell states and biological fidelity.[70]
- Shahar AlonSpatial genomics and measurement design.[60][61]
- Rachela PopovtzerNanoparticle platforms and biomedical imaging.[53]
Existing proposals to explore
Computing hardware · Original outlook
The future of computing has physical limits.
Growing demand puts memory, packaging, power and heat at the centre of the research agenda.
Dedicated research awards and industrial requirements support work on the physical computing stack. Better devices and systems can reduce energy and material costs per useful computation.[O17][O19][O26][O27]
Capital spending can overshoot demand. A data-centre electricity projection is a scenario, not a guaranteed outcome.
Research questions
- Advanced packaging
- Memory & photonic interconnect
- Power delivery & cooling
- Yield, testing & reliability
Inspect evidence and confidence
Semiconductor patent applications
2025 vs 2024 · EPO · Historical observation
One office’s application measure; not a five-year research forecast.[O26]
Advanced packaging research awards
NIST · first NAPMP funding round · Finalized awards
Awards for substrates and materials research; not completed spending or successful research outcomes.[O27]
Data-centre electricity consumption
2024 observed → 2030 Base Case · Observation + projection
IEA’s 2030 value is a modeled Base Case. It depends on adoption, efficiency and infrastructure constraints.[O19]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Leonid YavitsComputer architecture and processing-in-memory for real workloads.[104]
- Adam TemanDigital circuits and memory-access energy.[1]
- Moti MedinaFault-tolerant hardware theory and network algorithms.[100]
Existing proposals to explore
Robotics & autonomy · Original outlook
From controlled demos to the real world.
A growing industrial installed base creates a reason to study machines that operate reliably across changing tasks and environments.
Deployment, employer expectations and transport patents make robotics a plausible candidate. The research challenge is robust integration, rather than assuming mass humanoid adoption.[O21][O24][O32]
The evidence cannot establish fifth place. Quantum is a serious alternative, and comparable research-growth data are missing.
Research questions
- Robust perception
- Manipulation & safe control
- System integration
- Dependable physical operation
Inspect evidence and confidence
Operating industrial robots
2024 · global · Deployment observation
Operational stock, not research activity or annual installations. Reported exact count: 4,663,698.[O21]
Growth in operating robot stock
2024 vs 2023 · global · Deployment observation
Stock grew, but annual purchases were uneven across regions. This is not a research-growth rate.[O21]
Employers expecting robotics transformation
Survey outlook to 2030 · Survey expectation
Expectations in the WEF employer sample, not measured research or an objective deployment forecast.[O32]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Amir WeissLocalization and distributed sensing methods; this is an enabling-method fit, not verified robotics deployment.[108]
- Gonen SingerDecision systems and stochastic control.[79][80]
- Yoli ShavitUncertainty-aware models and camera localization; embodied-system validation remains open.[127][128]
No directly matching team proposal was established in the current report. Confirm the application and complementary capabilities before proposing a team.
Quantum technologies · New field
Measure, connect and compute in new ways.
Quantum sensing, communication and computing open distinct research questions. Their readiness differs sharply across applications.
Historical patent activity and public research roadmaps support a field beyond conventional chips: robust quantum states, useful sensors and interoperable photonic systems. The opportunity is to demonstrate a specific advantage under realistic conditions.[O2][O3][O4]
Patent expansion is not commercial maturity. Firm entry has plateaued recently, investment recovered only partly after a decline, and roadmaps do not establish useful fault-tolerant computing by 2031.
Research questions
- Stable emitters and low-loss photonic interfaces
- Quantum sensing with an independent performance baseline
- Error correction and realistic resource costs
- Networking testbeds and component compatibility
Inspect evidence and confidence
Growth in quantum international patent families
2005–2024 · global · Historical patent indicator
OECD/EPO reports sevenfold growth. Families are an inventive-activity proxy, not products or future market share.[O2]
Sensing and networking readiness
2022 sensing plan · 2024 networking review · United States · Published research priorities
Some quantum sensing is established; proposed next-generation sensors still need end-user validation and enabling components. Networking has separate testbed and integration challenges.[O3]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Claim 2: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: moderate · Review: reviewed
Claim 3: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: high · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Yossef Efraim PanfilOptically active defects and quantum-emitter materials.[25]
- Miri BlauFrequency-domain quantum optics and integrated photonics.[37]
- Roy ZektzerAtom–photon interfaces and quantum sensing.[50]
- Eliahu CohenQuantum measurement theory and sensing concepts.[113][114]
- Tamar Goldzak MizrahiFirst-principles models of defects and light–matter interactions.[132][133]
- Boris DesiatovIntegrated quantum optics and nonlinear conversion.[135][136]
Existing proposals to explore
Climate & water resilience · New field
Make water systems ready for changing conditions.
Water monitoring, durable sensing and decisions under uncertainty form a practical adaptation agenda alongside the existing energy field.
Observed water variability creates a reason to improve measurements and early warning. Water-specific patent activity and policy attention support investigating solutions, while the financing shortfall makes affordable, maintainable designs essential.[O10][O15][O16]
The reviewed evidence is strongest for water-focused adaptation. Need and patent activity do not prove effective adaptation, customer demand or available research funding. Water innovation has also lagged other clean-technology sectors.
Research questions
- Sensors that retain calibration under fouling and drift
- Combining field measurements with remote observations
- Early warning and robust decisions under uncertainty
- Maintenance, affordability and measured local benefit
Inspect evidence and confidence
River basins with normal conditions
2024 · WMO global assessment · Hydrological observation
WMO reports only one third had normal conditions. This combines reported data, modelling and satellite evidence; it is not a count of basins with human harm.[O15]
Annual water-technology patent families
2020s · international patent families · Historical inventive activity
EPO reports growth from roughly 300 in the early 1990s. Treatment accounts for about 60%; these are not adaptation-only patents or deployed outcomes.[O10]
International public adaptation finance
2023 · flows to developing countries · Reported finance flow
UNEP 2025 reports a decline from $28bn in 2022. These flows are not an R&D budget, a grant forecast or a funding allocation for Bar-Ilan.[O16]
Source credibility describes the inspected record; it does not measure the likelihood of future success.
Claim 1: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Claim 2: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: high · Review: reviewed
Claim 3: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: low · Review: reviewed
Claim 4: inspect evidence and review · Evidence ceiling: moderate · Review: reviewed
Connect the outlook to Bar-Ilan
Capabilities to bring into the conversation
Analyst mappings from cited profiles, not researcher-confirmed interests, availability or endorsements. The original report was not systematically selected against these seven fields.
- Alexander TeslerAnti-fouling interfaces for a water-monitoring durability question.[12]
- Yatir SadiaFunctional materials whose sensing compatibility must first be tested.[31]
- Amir WeissCalibration and estimation that expose measurement uncertainty.[108]
Existing proposals to explore
How the seven were assembled
The first five fields retain the original outlook and its evidence limitations. Quantum technologies and climate adaptation with water resilience extend its scope after a separate, independently challenged review. Cybersecurity, 6G and space systems remain comparison candidates; seven is a planning choice, not a measured top-seven ranking.
Cybersecurity has direct standards and operational demand, but this extension favors a quantum-native research track and a water-focused adaptation track to broaden the existing portfolio. Earth observation can support adaptation; secure-system methods cut across several fields. These choices do not diminish their importance.
Read the outlook sources and claim reviews · Download the original five-field report