Current Status and Implications of Artificial Intelligence Applications in the Ceramics Field from the Patent Perspective

With the accelerated global intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has exhibited enormous application value in the ceramic industry. In particular, the integration of AI with robotics and mechatronics has become a key driving force for its intelligent production lines, automated processing, and real-time quality inspection. To explore current development and typical applications of AI in the ceramics field, especially its integration with robotics and mechatronic systems, this study retrieved 3,773 patents from 2014 to 2024 via the IncoPat database, and adopted a combination of quantitative statistics and trend identification to analyze their development trends, legal statuses, applicant structures, technical characteristics, application scopes, and research hotspots. The results show that the annual patent applications present an overall upward trend, with China accounting for 84%. Valid patents account for 53.30%, while a high proportion of lapsed and withdrawn patents indicates that commercialization and maintenance costs remain key bottlenecks. Universities and local equipment manufacturers constitute the main applicants; the technical layout is concentrated in high-end intelligent equipment, mechatronic systems, robotic production lines, quality inspection and material optimization, with IPC classifications concentrated in G01N, G06N and B28B. AI has been applied throughout the ceramic production process, supported by robotics and mechatronics for automated execution, with research hotspots focusing on intelligent manufacturing and production automation, ceramic material optimization and performance prediction, as well as quality control and intelligent detection technologies. This study concludes that China has obvious advantages in the patent layout of AI applications in the ceramics field, but faces problems such as insufficient commercialization of high-value patents, low data sharing and lagging patent examination systems. It is suggested that the ceramic industry should strengthen the international patent layout, unify data standards, improve the patent examination system, and carry out interdisciplinary research combining AI, robotics and mechatronics to break through technical gaps.