Google at the Global Forum on Intellectual Property

Kent Walker, Google’s President of Global Affairs, delivered a keynote at the Global Forum on Intellectual Property in Singapore, outlining how AI has become 300 times more efficient than models from two years prior. He noted that modern AI systems can operate independently, adapt to environments, and correct errors, enabling advancements in fields like medicine and materials science. Walker cited Oxford researchers using AlphaFold to design malaria therapies as an example of AI-driven scientific progress.

Walker also highlighted AI’s impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs, such as the Japanese travel platform ikura, which uses Google AI to help tourists explore less-visited areas and support local economies. In Indonesia, the startup Aruna employs AI to connect remote fishermen with fairer pricing for their catch. These examples illustrate how AI is being deployed to address practical challenges and foster inclusive economic growth.

The discussion turned to AI adoption in the Asia-Pacific region, where countries like Singapore report 29% of AI users as “super users” capable of delegating tasks and automating routines. Walker attributed this high adoption rate to regional optimism about AI, with nearly half of APAC users saving over an hour daily through generative AI at work. In Singapore, educators are using Google Workspace for Education to save five hours per week on lesson planning, redirecting time toward teaching.

Walker addressed the patent system’s strain amid a surge in AI-related applications, noting that more patents were published in 2024 and 2025 than in the prior decade combined. He emphasized the need to balance innovation with protecting creator rights, citing Google’s extensive AI patent portfolio as a foundation for sustainable progress. Walker concluded by stressing the importance of creating enabling environments to capture AI’s potential $6 trillion global GDP contribution over the next decade.