The US leads the world in development artificial intelligence technologyand surpassing China in research and other key measures of AI innovation, according to a recently released Stanford University index.
There’s no surefire way to assess global AI leadership, but Stanford researchers have taken an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across several dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsible the technology is becoming pursued to prevent damage.
“The gap is actually widening” between the U.S. and China, said computer scientist Ray Perrault, director of the steering committee that manages Stanford’s AI Index. “The US is investing much more, at least at the level of business creation and financing.”
The California-based university’s Institute for Human-Centered AI – which has ties to Silicon Valley’s tech industry – published the report on Thursday such as US government AI officials and several allies met in San Francisco this week to compare notes on AI safety measures.
Here’s a look at which countries made it into the top 10:
The US ranks No. 1 on Stanford’s list and has consistently held that position since 2018, when it overtook China. It has easily surpassed China in private AI investment, which amounted to $67.2 billion in the U.S. last year, compared to $7.8 billion in China, according to the report. It is also a leader in publishing responsible AI research. It’s no surprise that the home of commercial AI powerhouses like Google and Meta, along with relative newcomers like OpenAI and Anthropic, has spawned many notable AI models that have influenced the way the technology is developed and deployed. The US also gets some points for having some AI-related laws on the books, although Congress has not yet done so to implement broad AI regulations.
China has filed far more patents than any other country related to generative AI, the UN intellectual property agency said earlier this year. Researchers at Stanford saw this as a measure of China’s strong growth in AI innovation, but not enough to lead the way. Still, the report says that “China’s focus on developing advanced AI technologies and increasing its R&D Investments has positioned it as a major AI powerhouse.” China’s universities have produced a large number of AI-related research publications, and there are commercial leaders developing notable AI models, such as Baidu and its chatbot Ernie.
Coming in at number 3 is Britain, which also ranks high in research and development and education infrastructure, as top computer science universities produce a skilled AI workforce. It is also home to Google’s AI subsidiary DeepMind, which the co-founder of recently won a Nobel Prize; and “had more mentions of AI in parliamentary proceedings” than any other country. Last year, Britain hosted the world’s first international AI safety summit.
India was close behind Britain, thanks to a “strong AI research community”, improvements in economic investments linked to AI and robust public debate about AI on social media, the report said.
The UAE’s single-minded focus on AI appears to be paying off in the Middle Eastern country’s fifth-place ranking. It was one of the top locations for AI investments. Microsoft said earlier this year that it was investing $1.5 billion in it UAE-based technology company G42which is overseen by the country’s powerful national security adviser. Based in Abu Dhabi, G42 operates data centers and has built what is considered the world’s leading Arabic-language AI model, known as Jais.
The top 10 is completed by France at number 6, followed by South Korea, Germany, Japan and Singapore. France, home to vibrant AI startup Mistral, scores highly in AI policy and governance. Both Germany and Germany are part of the European Union sweeping new AI law that places safeguards on a range of AI applications based on how risky they are. The EU also follows the US in this regard developing a plan to expand semiconductor production within the block.