Blitz Bureau
WASHINGTON: The United States leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index, reported AP.
There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across various dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm.
“The gap is actually widening” between the US and China, AP reported quoting computer scientist Ray Perrault, Director of the steering committee that runs Stanford’s AI Index. “The U.S. is investing a lot more, at least at the level of firm creation and firm funding,” he reportedly said.
The US ranks No. 1 on Stanford’s list and has consistently held that position since 2018 when it overtook China. It has far outpaced China in private AI investment, which hit $67.2 billion in the US last year compared to $7.8 billion in China, according to the report. It also leads in publishing responsible AI research.
China has requested far more patents than any other country regarding generative AI, the UN intellectual property agency said earlier this year. Stanford researchers counted that as one measure of China’s strong growth in AI innovation but not enough to lead the pack. Still, the report says that “China’s focus on developing cuttingedge AI technologies and increasing its R&D investments has positioned it as a major AI powerhouse.”
Coming in at No. 3 is the UK, which also ranked high in research and development, and educational infrastructure due to top computer science universities churning out a skilled AI workforce. It’s also home to Google’s AI subsidiary DeepMind, whose co-founder recently won a Nobel Prize.
Close behind the UK was India, thanks to a “strong AI research community,” improvements in economic investments tied to AI and a robust public discourse about AI on social media, according to the report. The UAE’s deliberate focus on AI appears to have paid off in the Middle Eastern nation’s fifth-place score. It was one of the top locations for AI investments. Rounding out the top 10 are France at No. 6, followed by South Korea, Germany, Japan and Singapore.
