Kent Walker, Google and Alphabet’s President of Global Affairs, called for treating artificial intelligence as a transformation in how innovation is produced, rather than merely a tool for improving search or automating tasks. He made the remarks in a speech at the Global Forum on Intellectual Property as part of Singapore IP Week 2026, focusing on a twofold equation: expanding the benefits of AI tools while protecting creators’ legitimate rights.
According to Walker, new AI models have become approximately 300 times more efficient compared with models from two years ago, emphasizing that this means “300 times,” not a 300% increase. He believes the more important development lies not in efficiency alone, but in models’ transition from prediction to executing a series of actions, working in different environments, and correcting their course when they encounter obstacles.
From Laboratories to Small Businesses
The speech cited the use of tools such as AlphaFold, developed by Google to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins. He said that researchers at the University of Oxford use these tools to design improved malaria treatments, including a new, more effective vaccine, according to the speech.
Walker also presented two examples from the Asia-Pacific region. Japan’s ikura platform uses AI to help tourists discover destinations outside traditional areas, potentially enabling small businesses to reach visitors they had not easily been able to reach before. In Indonesia, the startup Aruna uses AI to help fishers in remote villages obtain fairer prices for their catch.
In Google’s interpretation, these examples carry significance beyond the launch of new tools: AI’s value is determined by the extent of its spread within businesses and economies and by institutions’ ability to integrate it into daily use. Walker noted that the Asia-Pacific region has high levels of AI adoption; India and Indonesia have the largest numbers of users, while Singapore records high levels of use relative to its population.
Why Does This Matter?
The speech highlighted a distinction between using AI as a substitute for a search engine and considering it a work partner. According to figures cited by Walker, “advanced users” account for 29% of AI users in Singapore, compared with 12% in the United States. These users employ paid models, delegate complete tasks to them, and automate daily procedures.
He also said that approximately half of respondents in Asia-Pacific surveys already save more than one hour per day by using generative AI at work. In Singapore, teachers from primary schools through colleges of education use advanced tools in Google Workspace for Education to plan lessons and personalize materials, which, according to the speech, provides each teacher with five hours per week to focus on teaching and guiding students.
Google is also relying on a recent report from Oxford Economics estimating that AI could add up to $6 trillion to global GDP over the next ten years. However, these estimates do not mean that the gains are guaranteed; Walker linked their realization to the existence of an appropriate regulatory environment and to rules governing how data and copyright-protected works are used.
Growing Pressure on the Patent System
Regarding patents, Walker said that the current system is facing a wave of AI-related applications, particularly as generative models make it easier to prepare new applications. He cited the World Intellectual Property Organization as saying that the number of new patents published in 2024 and 2025 combined exceeded the number of patents published during the previous ten years.
According to the speech, the claims cover the models’ architectures themselves and their applications in different fields. However, Walker warned that a large number of claims does not mean that all of them are valid, calling for better tools to assess the quality of claims, including the use of AI to analyze prior art and break down claims created automatically.
Google’s position here is not a call to dismantle the patent system, but to adapt it to the pace of change. As for copyright, Walker began by posing the question of how to protect creators’ rights while preserving AI’s promise, but the source text available ends before presenting details of his position on this aspect.
Editorially, the speech’s significance lies in revealing the priority Google wants to establish in the intellectual-property debate: not stopping development, while updating assessment and protection mechanisms. However, the figures cited, such as estimates of economic impact or model efficiency, reflect what the speaker presented and are not, by themselves, sufficient to settle the final regulatory or economic outcomes.