World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move is the new report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), dedicated to the way in which technology, nowadays increasingly central, spreads throughout the world.
The objective of this study is essentially to provide policymakers, entrepreneurs and researchers with an overview of the dynamics of the diffusion of new technologies and to offer useful tools to guide innovation policies and define effective strategies to support technological progress.
The diffusion of technology
The World Intellectual Property Report 2026 attempts to answer a question that is as simple as it is important: does technology really spread faster than in the past?
The analysis, which spans a period of 250 years and integrates an in-depth study of the most recent innovations, highlights an important fact: we are witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in the speed at which new technologies spread and reach global markets.
As the study points out, just think that the telegraph and the automobile, invented in the 19th century, took about forty years to spread on a global scale. By contrast, artificial intelligence systems, such as ChatGPT released in November 2022, registered new users from various countries around the world within just a few days of going online, also thanks to an already existing global digital infrastructure that enabled access to these systems from all over the world.
However, technology does not spread automatically or uniformly.
The World Intellectual Property Report 2026 recalls how the most advanced economies have usually assumed the role of early adopters of technologies. In recent years, however, the gap between advanced and developing countries, both in terms of time and intensity of technology adoption, has been narrowing, especially in relation to digital and clean technologies.
Another important aspect that emerges from the report concerns global information flows related to inventions.
The time required for the global diffusion of technical knowledge has drastically decreased, also thanks to digital platforms and AI systems that make it possible to overcome geographical limits and make information accessible almost in real time, thus fostering a rapid spread of innovative ideas.
Despite these changes, the report highlights how the leaders in the field of technical knowledge are still a small number of economies: the United States, Western Europe, Japan and China, which is taking on an increasingly important role.
Key factors
The World Intellectual Property Report 2026 identifies four factors that influence the speed and intensity of technology diffusion:
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The nature of the technology: some technologies spread more rapidly than others because they are easier to use, less expensive or bring immediate benefits to a large pool of users. Another very important factor concerns the need for supporting infrastructure: some innovations depend on large and costly infrastructures, which require time and resources to build. Others, instead, can rely on already existing infrastructures and therefore can spread more easily (e.g. generative AI systems).
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The speed of information: diffusion also depends on the speed at which information about innovation is able to circulate. The report explains how the evolution of technological tools, and ultimately the internet, has transformed information flows: today digital platforms and AI systems allow almost instant access to databases of technical and scientific information.
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The capacity to absorb technology: technology spreads more easily in countries that have a greater capacity to absorb it, that is, that possess the skills, infrastructure and conditions to understand and use it. Technological diffusion depends not only on the availability of the technology, but also on the capacity of the economic and institutional system to absorb it and transform it into value. Complex technologies in fact require significant technical know-how, which is developed through training programs, research institutes and global knowledge networks.
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Institutions and regulatory frameworks: the diffusion of technologies is also significantly influenced by regulatory frameworks, interoperability standards and intellectual property systems: if clear and well balanced, they can help reduce uncertainty for businesses and the market, facilitating the circulation of innovation.
Conclusions
Technology becomes truly useful for society when it is understood and used on a large scale, and the interesting World Intellectual Property Report 2026 clearly highlights how, in order for technological progress to spread globally, it is important to understand the various factors that influence it, which are both internal and external to the technology itself.
The Director General of WIPO, Daren Tang, in the press release emphasizes how important it is for all countries to strengthen their capacity to absorb new technologies in order to foster lasting, innovation-driven economic growth.
“This report shows that faster diffusion of technology, coupled with closing usage gaps, can enable economies to accelerate economic growth. But this will not happen by chance — it requires deliberate and coordinated investments in human and institutional capacities, modern infrastructure, and robust intellectual property systems. By strengthening the ability of countries to absorb new technologies and turn ideas into tangible outcomes, policymakers can unlock innovation-driven growth for the long term”. – Daren Tang WIPO Director General