USPTO Extends AI-Powered Patent Search Pilot ASAP! Through June 2026, Doubles Capacity and Waives Fees

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced in April 2026 that it will extend the Artificial Intelligence Search Automated Pilot Program — known as ASAP! — through June 1, 2026, to collect additional data needed to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The extension doubles the program’s target capacity from approximately 1,600 applications (200 per Technology Center) to at least 3,200 applications (400 per Technology Center). The USPTO has also waived the $450 petition fee for any petition filed on or after March 23, 2026.

ASAP! launched in October 2025 as a pilot initiative under which the USPTO uses an AI tool to conduct automated prior art searches for utility patent applications before examination begins. According to the USPTO’s official program page, the AI system uses the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) of the application along with the specification, claims, and abstract as contextual input, searching publicly available databases including U.S. patents, U.S. pre-grant publications, and Foreign Image and Text (FIT) records.

Eligibility is limited to original, noncontinuing, nonprovisional utility applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) on or after October 20, 2025, and on or before June 1, 2026. Continuation and continuation-in-part applications are not eligible. Participating applicants must file a petition expressing consent to participate, and the AI-generated search report is provided to the examiner, who retains full authority to conduct supplemental searches as needed.

As reported by IP Watchdog on April 16, 2026 and Patent Docs on April 19, 2026, the fee waiver for petitions filed after March 23 effectively eliminates the financial barrier to participation that existed under the original program design. The extension and incentives suggest that participation had not reached the pace needed to generate sufficient data within the original timeline.

USPTO Director John Squires announced at a recent University of San Diego Patent Law Conference that a version 2 of the AI search tool is forthcoming. The principal improvement in ASAP! v2 will be the tool’s ability to search against the claims of the submitted application directly, rather than relying solely on the specification as contextual input. This change is expected to improve the precision of AI-generated search results, which in the current version are derived primarily from the application’s classification and full specification text.

The ASAP! program represents one of the USPTO’s first large-scale deployments of AI within the examination workflow itself. If the pilot demonstrates that AI-generated searches meaningfully assist examiners or reduce examination pendency, it could set a precedent for broader integration of automated search tools into the patent examination process. The program also provides the USPTO with empirical data on AI search performance across different technology areas, which will inform future policy decisions on AI-assisted examination.

Patent practitioners have noted that ASAP! participation could be strategically relevant for applicants seeking faster examination, since examiners receiving a pre-examination search report may be able to reach a first action on the merits more efficiently. However, the program’s ultimate impact on examination quality and prosecution timelines remains to be assessed once the pilot concludes and results are published.

Applications may participate through June 1, 2026, or until each Technology Center reaches 400 granted petitions, whichever occurs first. Applicants can review eligibility requirements and submission procedures on the USPTO’s ASAP! program page.