USPTO touts AI tools and backlog cuts as lawmakers press on morale, regional offices and trademark delays Director Squires defended USPTO efforts to reduce a historic backlog (he cited 837,932 unexamined patent applications), described AI pilots that provide prior art to applicants before first office action, and said the agency is addressing examiner morale while pursuing centralized outreach that closed the Denver regional office to save about $3.8 million per year; members pressed for data on certified-copy delays for foreign priority.

The USPTO is harnessing AI to tackle a staggering backlog of 837,932 unexamined applications, but lawmakers are raising concerns about staff morale and regional office closures.

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