Is artificial intelligence leading to a new technological paradigm?

• This study assesses whether artificial intelligence (AI) is a continuation of the digital ICT technological paradigm, or sufficiently revolutionary to represent a paradigm shift, based on a global dataset of AI patents and their applicants. • AI patenting accelerated and became more pervasive between 2000 and 2016, with AI innovators shifting from ICT core industries to non-ICT service sectors. • The innovative entry of young and smaller patent applicants, also from other industries, has successfully challenged the initial leading role of ICT incumbents. • AI demonstrates features of general-purpose technologies (GPT) and has generated and accelerated further innovations. • The pattern of AI technology development shows similarity to the emergence of major technological paradigms in the past, suggesting that AI technologies may indeed generate a paradigmatic shift. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative innovation with the potential to drive significant economic growth and productivity gains. This study examines whether AI is initiating a technological revolution, signifying a new technological paradigm, using the perspective of evolutionary neo-Schumpeterian economics. Using a global dataset combining information on AI patenting activities and their applicants between 2000 and 2016, our analysis reveals that AI patenting has accelerated and substantially evolved in terms of its pervasiveness, with AI innovators shifting from the ICT core industries to non-ICT service industries over the investigated period. Moreover, there has been a decrease in concentration of innovation activities and a reshuffling in the innovative hierarchies, with innovative entries and young and smaller applicants driving this change. Finally, we find that AI technologies play a role in generating and accelerating further innovations (so revealing to be “enabling technologies”, a distinctive feature of GPTs). All these features have characterised the emergence of major technological paradigms in the past and suggest that AI technologies may indeed generate a paradigmatic shift or, at least, a major radical transformation within the ICT paradigm.