Angel Wang

As patent practitioners, the choice to “do nothing” about AI is not a neutral act. 

Law firms or in-house counsel that delay the adoption of AI may believe they are minimizing risk, but oftentimes they are taking on a different set of less visible, long-term risks. 

These hidden costs can accumulate quickly, from compounding inefficiencies in traditional patent drafting workflows to missed revenue opportunities that remain untapped without leveraging AI-driven capabilities.

So, what can patent practitioners do to stay ahead of the game? Here is what the Solve Intelligence team has seen speaking with thousands of practitioners.

Key takeaways

• Waiting to adopt AI is itself a strategic decision with compounding costs.
• Manual patent workflows create time, quality, and knowledge bottlenecks that grow over time.
• Firms already experimenting with AI gain operational insight that late adopters cannot shortcut.
• Low-risk entry points let practitioners build confidence without compromising legal judgment.

Last week, my colleagues and I attended the annual meeting of AUTM, the global association for technology transfer professionals. For anyone building in the intellectual property (IP) space, it’s one of the most important rooms you can be in.

The three-day conference brings together high education decision-makers from around the world who are shaping how intellectual property is evaluated, protected, and commercialized. This year’s conversations revealed something important: the question is no longer if AI will influence tech transfer, but instead about how institutions will integrate it.

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping patent practice, but adopting it swiftly, efficiently and securely is where most firms get stuck. Patent professionals know the productivity upside to using gen AI tools, yet often get derailed when informal experiments run into real-world problems: client confidentiality concerns, inferior work-product quality, delayed internal approvals, and decision-fatigue.

This guide lays out a practical, 30-day plan for adopting AI in patent work, moving from ad hoc trials to a controlled, firm-ready strategy. It shows how you can run a focused pilot, set clear guardrails, train attorneys, and document decisions in a way that satisfies partners, clients, and internal stakeholders.