"As firms now rush to adopt AI, Curcio argues that the real challenge is no longer discovering what AI can do but understanding what it actually delivers. Efficiency, accuracy, ROI, ethics, and the quiet return of the build-vs-buy debate form the core questions firms must answer-not the hype around AI features themselves. The Efficiency Illusion-and Why the Patent Profession Must Measure, Not Assume Patent professionals often take efficiency as a given benefit of AI. Curcio challenges that assumption head-on."
"She cites a recent study about AI tools for software developers that revealed a surprising outcome: "These tools actually decreased efficiency across the subsection of professionals that they were studying," she said. Even more striking, the study found that users "thought they were being more efficient, but the study revealed that they were actually less efficient." For patent teams, her message is clear: Never confuse the feeling of speed with actual gains."
""Introducing certain efficiencies in one aspect might introduce inefficiencies in others," Curcio reiterates. "So I think it's a matter of checks and balances and ensuring that we're deploying in the right way that's going to prove to be effective across the workflow of the end user and not just create more problems." Curcio urges firms to measure ROI with rigor-time per task, error reduction, improved claim clarity-not gut instinct."
AI is reshaping patent prosecution, search, and overall workflow across patent professions, with early concept-based search tools indicating major change. Firms are rapidly adopting AI, shifting focus from potential capabilities to actual delivered value, including efficiency, accuracy, ROI, ethics, and build-vs-buy choices. Efficiency can be illusory: studies show some AI tools reduce actual productivity even when users feel faster. Implementations can improve one task while degrading others, so rigorous measurement of time per task, error rates, and claim clarity is essential. Ethical considerations and careful ROI analysis should guide adoption rather than feature-driven hype.
Read at IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law
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