The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that it will use artificial intelligence (AI) to prepare minutes of oral proceedings.
A trial run will begin on May 1, 2025, when some examination and opposition divisions will begin using AI to prepare minutes of oral hearings.
In order to utilize AI, all oral hearings will be audio-recorded; however, the recordings will not be used for any purpose other than compiling minutes and will be deleted after the minutes have been issued.
In addition, each review division or objection division will be responsible for the content of the minutes created using AI.
Furthermore, from 2026 onwards, all oral proceedings, not just oral hearings, will be subject to the use of AI.
The EPO states:Strategic Plan 2028"In line with this, we plan to further expand the use of AI in the patent grant process.
For more information, please refer to the following page:
https://www.epo.org/en/legal/official-journal/notice-7-april-2025
https://www.epo.org/en/legal/official-journal/decision-7-april-2025