TEANECK, N.J., April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today announced that its AI Lab has received three new U.S. patents, bringing its total number of U.S. patents to 65 and 88 globally.
The newly granted patents build on the lab's work in areas such as human-AI collaboration for decision-making and deep learning for specialized tasks. Together, they reflect continued innovation in the core building blocks of AI systems - helping models learn more effectively, collaborate more seamlessly and support better decisions in real-world environments.
"As enterprises scale AI, they need systems that are not only powerful, but also adaptable, collaborative, and efficient," said Babak Hodjat, Chief AI Officer at Cognizant. "These patents represent advances in how AI systems learn and evolve, helping organizations move from experimentation to real business impact."
The latest patents include:
- U.S. Patent No. 12,572,810 (issued March 10, 2026): Improves decision-recommendation systems, or "prescriptors," by evolving human-designed strategies into stronger, higher-performing policies as conditions change
- U.S. Patent No. 12,566,942 (issued March 3, 2026): Automatically creates and tunes activation functions--core "on/off" switches inside neural networks - so models can perform better for a given task and architecture, reducing manual trial-and-error
- U.S. Patent No. 12,561,223 (issued February 24, 2026): Enhances distributed machine learning by enabling systems to share and combine learned knowledge through standardized metadata, improving coordination and reuse across teams.
"These patents reflect our focus on the building blocks of AI," said Risto Miikkulainen, Vice President of AI Research at Cognizant and Professor of Computer Science at UT Austin. "We are making models more adaptive, decisions more effective, and distributed systems more collaborative. This work moves AI toward more flexible and scalable real-world applications."
The innovations were developed by Cognizant researchers including Dr. Elliot Meyerson, Professor Risto Miikkulainen, Olivier Francon, Dr. Babak Hodjat, Darren Sargent, and former Cognizant researchers Karl Mutch and Dr. Garrett Bingham.
As an AI builder, Cognizant helps companies turn AI spending into results they can use in the business. The Cognizant AI Lab helps make that happen by identifying promising new ideas, proving they work, and moving them from research into ready-to-use solutions that create real impact for clients
About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is an AI builder and technology services provider, building the bridge between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, realize tangible returns and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.
About the Cognizant AI Lab
The mission of the Cognizant AI Lab is to maximize human potential with Decision AI, a form of AI that combines generative AI, multi-agent architecture, deep learning, and evolutionary AI to create sophisticated decision-making systems. Decision AI powers Cognizant's Neuro® AI platform, which is utilized by Fortune 500 companies and non-profits to discover new ways to exceed their goals. The platform enables organizations to rapidly build AI that optimizes decision-making, leading to revenue growth and societal progress.
Led by AI pioneers Babak Hodjat and Risto Miikkulainen, the lab collaborates with institutions, academia, and technology partners to develop groundbreaking AI solutions responsibly. With over 120 patents (issued or pending) globally, the lab excels at combining scientific innovation with commercial application. It supports Cognizant's goal of improving everyday life, focusing on business and AI-for-good applications.
For more information, contact:
U.S.
Name: Paul Jarratt
Email: Paul.Jarratt@cognizant.com
Europe / APAC
Name: Sarah Douglas
Email: sarah.douglas@cognizant.com
India
Name: Vipin Nair
Email: Vipin.Nair@cognizant.com
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SOURCE Cognizant Technology Solutions
