US Widening AI Lead Over China, Finds Stanford Report

Matthew Broersma,
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Illustration representing AI, artificial intelligence, cloud and networks. Image credit: Intel

US widening lead over China on AI development, as UK places third in Stanford index of top countries pushing the tech forward

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The US has widened its lead over China on artificial intelligence, according to a new Stanford University index, although the university said China remains a “major AI powerhouse”, while the UK ranked third in AI development.

The index, published by the university’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, which is linked to Silicon Valley’s tech industry, coincided with a meeting of government officials from the US and several allies in San Francisco to discuss AI safety.

The index takes into account levels of research and investment as well as the presence of safety measures to ensure the technology is being pursued responsibly.

The US has led Stanford’s AI Index since 2018, since it overtook China, and is investing far more than China at the level of creating and funding companies, the university said.

Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis and director John Jumper. Image credit: DeepMind
Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis and director John Jumper. Image credit: DeepMind

China advances

Private AI investment in the US reached $67.2 billion (£53.6bn) in the US last year, compared to $7.8bn in China, found a report released with the index.

The US also leads in publishing responsible AI research and has a number of AI-related laws, although no broad AI regulations have yet been passed, the report noted.

China has requested far more patents than any other country regarding generative AI, while its universities have produced a large number of AI-related research publications and commercial companies have produced notable AI models, such as Baidu’s Ernie chatbot.

“China’s focus on developing cutting-edge AI technologies and increasing its R&D investments has positioned it as a major AI powerhouse,” the report says.

The UK ranked third on the list’s top 10, ranking high in research and development, as well as educational infrastructure with high-ranking computer science universities providing a skilled AI workforce.

UK’s AI strength

The country is home to Google AI subsidiary DeepMind, whose co-founder Demis Hassabis and director John Jumper were recently co-awarded a Nobel Prize.

The country had more mentions of AI in parliamentary proceedings than any other country, and last year hosted the world’s first AI safety summit, the report said.

India followed close behind the UK with a “strong AI research community”, improving economic investments in the technology and a strong public discourse around AI on social media, followed by the United Arab Emirates, whose policy focus on AI has made it one of the world’s top locations for AI investments.

Microsoft earlier this year said it would invest $1.5bn in UAE-based G42, backed by the country’s national security adviser, which runs data centres and operates the leading Arabic-language AI model, Jais.

AI Act

France, home to AI start-up Mistral, followed at No. 6, followed by South Korea, Germany, Japan and Singapore.

France and Germany are both under the jurisdiction of the EU’s AI Act that places safeguards on a range of AI applications, while the EU is also, similar to the US, promoting domestic chip manufacturing investments.