The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI’s Global Vibrancy Tool 2024 indicates that the United States is the world leader in artificial intelligence, followed by China and the United Kingdom.
The monitoring tool, which evaluates a nation’s AI ecosystem based on important metrics including patents, research papers, and private investment, among others, examined data from 36 nations and discovered that the US leads in several crucial categories. Compared to other nations, it has published more responsible AI research, issued more noteworthy machine learning models, and invested more private resources in AI. China is second, although it is still far behind the United States.
The AI Index research team created the Global Vibrancy Tool 2024, which compiles 42 AI-specific metrics to give a thorough, numerical picture of which countries are at the forefront of AI. The tool also shows where different nations lead and fall short in AI, as well as how the strength of national AI ecosystems has changed over time.
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According to Nestor Maslej, project manager for the AI Index, “narratives about which countries lead in AI have become more prominent than ever as AI has increased as a topic of national interest for countries across the globe.” However, there is a lack of data that offers a precise, numerical picture of where nations stand on AI. Our goal at the AI Index was to close this gap by providing a rigorous tool that would assist the public, business executives, and governments in putting these geopolitical AI narratives into reality.
U.S. Leads by a Significant Amount
The United States has the strongest AI ecosystem in the world and performs noticeably better than any other nation. Research and development (AI research output), economy (amount of AI-related economic activity), and infrastructure (underlying AI infrastructure) are the three pillars of AI relevance that the Global Vibrancy Tool uses to rate nations. The United States is at the top of almost every pillar. It spent the most on private investment, created the most noteworthy machine learning models, conducted the most AI mergers and acquisitions, and produced the best AI research in 2023. Additionally, the nation had the most recently financed AI businesses and AI job ads.
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China is in second place but is slipping
The U.S.-China AI comparison has received a lot of attention in recent years. According to this tool, the U.S. is rapidly retreating from the two superpowers that were once rivals. The United States leads China on several important metrics: In 2023, it generated more noteworthy machine learning models (61 vs. 15) and garnered more private investment linked to AI (US$67.2 billion vs. US$7.8 billion). But with more AI-related patents than the US, China is the leader in this field.
Countries All Over the World Are Giving AI More Priority
The Global Vibrancy Tool demonstrates how AI has grown in importance as a political issue for different countries and how a country’s AI vibrancy can be enhanced by this focus. For instance, the United Arab Emirates has made a public commitment in recent years to lead the world in artificial intelligence (AI) and has made significant investments in top-notch research institutions such as the Technology Innovation Institute. This year, the UAE came in at number five on the Global Vibrancy Tool.
In addition to ranking third this year, the UK assumed a leadership role in the global AI community by hosting the first AI safety summit in 2023. France, ranked sixth, will host the next summit in early 2025, while South Korea, ranked seventh, will host the most recent one in 2024. As nations place a greater emphasis on AI, tools such as the Global Vibrancy Tool will be crucial for monitoring the changes in national stances.
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Adaptability, Openness, and a Request for Additional Information
Originally released in 2017, the Global Vibrancy Tool was refreshed this year with additional data and an easier-to-use, more adaptable design.
According to Vanessa Parli, director of research at Stanford HAI and a member of the AI Index Steering Committee, “the Global Vibrancy Tool is unique in that it allows users to adjust weights and assign varying values to indicators, unlike any other AI-related national index.” “We built that flexibility into the system because we understand that different people have different ideas about what constitutes a nation’s AI standing.”
Additionally, Parli said she hopes the tool would draw attention to how crucial improved data tracking is to the AI ecosystem. “The Global Vibrancy Tool’s launch is just the beginning,” she stated. “We are hopeful that the tool will promote advancements in data collection initiatives connected to AI. We are crossing our fingers that the tool will pave the way for fresh, data-driven partnerships between HAI and nations worldwide.
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In addition, the Global Vibrancy Tool’s team intends to expand its dataset and include more nations in subsequent iterations. Maslej says, “As nations expand their AI ecosystems, we are continuously adding new data and adding new countries.”
