USPTO's perspective on IT significantly transformed due to Holcombe's actions
Jamie Holcombe served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for almost seven years before leaving in 2021. During his tenure, Holcombe aimed to modernize the patent and trademark systems and get out of day-to-day operations.
Holcombe spent several years at the USPTO just getting out of managing the infrastructure, which was mostly on-premise data centers. One of his first tasks was to eliminate the use of mainframes and legacy relational databases, a significant step towards modernization.
The USPTO's technology modernization approach has changed over the last six years, focusing on mission first and data security. This shift was evident in the USPTO's decision to start using AI for code assistance in 2024. Initial pilots demonstrated that AI could accurately translate about 80% of the old code, a promising development for the organization.
The USPTO's modernization efforts allowed the office to invest heavily in artificial intelligence capabilities. Today, the USPTO is using generative AI and artificial intelligence for code assistance, with the promise of these tools being able to go through all testing and produce test scripts, accelerating the development cycle.
The USPTO issued a request for information seeking technology to improve the efficiency in the patent and trademark examining processes. Examples of technology the USPTO highlighted in the RFI include IT improvements, robotic process automation (RPA) bot development/usage, and new code or ideas to improve current processes.
Holcombe's approach involved having business unit heads and technical leads in charge of product decisions and budgets. Every 90 days, deputy business unit heads decided on funding for the next quarter and what to adapt or kill, a process that ensured continuous modernization and elimination of programs that weren't making progress or meeting mission goals.
Two big remaining priorities for the acting CIO Deborah Stephens include the continued implementation of a zero trust architecture and relying on GenAI tools to modernize legacy code faster. The USPTO is relying on a sense of urgency to continue modernizing its technology, given the approximately 600,000 patent applications it receives every year.
In 2021, Holcombe left the USPTO and joined USAI as a vice president, marking the end of a transformative era for the USPTO's technology. Under Holcombe's leadership, the technology of the Patent and Trademark Office is more mission-driven than ever before.
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