The U.S. leads the world in AI. Here's who else is at the top
The artificial intelligence race doesn’t only exist between tech companies — it exists between countries, too.
When it comes to core areas such as research papers, private investments, and patents, the U.S. comes out on top when it comes to AI, according to Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered AI.
The U.S. is also far ahead of its next-best competitor, China, according to the institute’s Global Vibrancy Tool, which analyzed data from 2023 on the AI ecosystems of 36 countries. The tool aggregated 42 AI-specific indicators to determine which countries are leading in AI.
See the top ten global AI leaders in 2024, according to Stanford HAI’s Global Vibrancy Tool.
10. Singapore
Singapore received maximum scores across three indicators: open access foundation models, AI hiring rate year-over-year ratio, and national AI strategy presence.
“Smaller countries like Singapore have made it into the top ten, suggesting that population and geographic scale are not the sole determinants of AI vibrancy,” according to the paper.
9. Japan
Japan received a maximum score for national AI strategy presence.
The country’s placement in the top ten alongside South Korea and Singapore “highlights the growing importance of AI in Asian economies,” the paper said.
8. Germany
Germany had a maximum score for open access foundation models and national AI strategy presence.
“Germany is a significant contributor to AI research, ranking fourth in producing notable machine learning models,” the paper says. “It has also published extensively on responsible AI and ranks fourth in total AI private investment.”
7. South Korea
South Korea received maximum points for national AI strategy presence, and was tied for second in passing AI-related legislation. The country has leading AI universities and companies including the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and NAVER, the paper said.
The second AI safety summit was held in Seoul, South Korea this year.
6. France
France received maximum scores across two indicators: open access foundation models and national AI strategy presence. The country ranked second for AI study programs in English penetration.
The paper noted French-based AI startup Mistral is “one of Europe’s most prominent LLM developers” that “has contributed several notable machine learning models.”
France is committed to hosting the third AI Safety Summit next year.
5. United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates received maximum points for three indicators: open access foundation models, AI study programs in English penetration, and national AI strategy presence. The UAE ranked second in AI talent concentration gender equality index and internet speed.
In 2023, the UAE “was among the top three nations globally for AI minority stake and public offering investments,” and scored highly for “net migration of AI talent” and “a fairly diverse AI workforce in terms of gender,” according to the paper. “In the last year, the UAE has also produced a significant number of notable machine learning as well as foundation models.”
4. India
India received maximum scores across four indicators: AI conference citations, relative AI skill penetration, AI talent concentration gender equality index, and national AI strategy presence. The country was second for AI conference publications, AI GitHub projects, social media share of voice on AI, and AI social media posts.
3. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom received maximum scores across four indicators: total AI minority stake investment, AI study programs in English, national AI strategy presence, and AI mentions in legislative proceedings. The U.K. also ranked second for foundation models applications.
In third place globally, the U.K. shows “particular strength in the Research and Development, Education, and Policy and Governance pillars,” according to the paper.
The U.K. is also home to Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College, and other top computer science universities, as well as Google’s (GOOGL) DeepMind AI research subsidiary.
Last year, the U.K. hosted the world’s first AI Safety Summit, and was among the first to dedicate an institute to AI safety.
2. China
China received maximum scores across seven indicators: AI journal publications, AI conference publications, AI journal citations, AI patent grants, total AI public offering investment, national AI strategy presence, and internet speed.
The country has “substantial strengths in R&D [research and development], Economy, and Infrastructure,” according to the paper.
But China is outpaced by the U.S. in several indicators, including AI-related private investment. In 2023, the U.S. attracted $67.2 billion in AI-related private investment, while China attracted $7.8 billion. The U.S. also produced more machine learning models than China, at 61 to 15.
China, however, produced more AI-related patents than the U.S. last year.
“China’s strength in research and development is unsurprising, given that many Chinese universities, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, have traditionally produced a high number of AI-related publications,” the paper said.
1. United States
The U.S. received maximum scores across 21 indicators — the most of any country included in the analysis.
In 2023, the U.S. “produced the highest quality AI research” and “built the most notable machine learning models,” according to Stanford HAI. The country also spent the most in private investment last year, and saw the most mergers and acquisition activity.
The U.S. is home to leading computer science universities such as Stanford and MIT, and leading companies including OpenAI and Google, the paper said. Last year, the U.S. had the most AI job listings and newly-funded AI startups.
China was overtaken by the U.S. for “greatest global vibrancy” in 2018, according to the paper.