Report: Global AI Research

How far has Artificial Intelligence research developed in the past two decades? Global information analytics company Elsevier shares its findings.

The report’s data shows how China is set to become the global leader in AI research, having already overtaken the U.S. in 2004 and fast closing in on Europe’s lead in that arena. At this rate, the report predicts that the country will become the biggest source of AI research globally within four years.

Key findings from the report include:

• Europe is suffering from AI Brain Drain: Over the 20 year period, Europe has been losing academic talent in this area, mostly to the corporate sector in the United States.
• Globally, research in AI has grown by 12.9% annually over the last 5 years
• There have been several key milestones over 20 years which have led to spikes and growth in AI research
• The ethics of AI is a research blind spot. Despite the increasing societal relevance of AI and widespread media attention on ethical implications, research remains limited.

The report shows that, globally, AI research has accelerated, growing by more than 12 percent annually in the past five years (2013–2017), compared to less than 5 percent in the previous 5 years (2008–2012). By contrast, research output overall…