The AI Power Rankings in the world: The Stanford HAI Tool ranks AI from 36 countries.

Stanford University November 21, 2024 Stanford HAI Staff

Stanford University's Global Vibrancy Tool aggregates 42 indicators from patents to private funding, revealing which country leads in AI, and why the USA has a greater advantage over other countries.

According to the "Global Vibrancy Tool 2024" of Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Research Institute, the global leader in artificial intelligence is the USA, followed by China and the UK.
Based on key indicators such as research papers, private investment, and patents, a tracking tool that measures AI ecosystems of various countries revealed that the USA leads in several core areas. The USA has released more noteworthy machine learning models than any other country, invested more private capital in AI, and produced many responsible AI research papers. China maintains its second position, but the gap with the USA remains significant.
The "Global Vibrancy Tool 2024" developed by the AI Index research team aggregates 42 AI-specific indicators to comprehensively and quantitatively show which country leads in AI. This tool reveals how robust the AI ecosystems of countries have evolved over time and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each country in AI.

"AI has increased as a national concern for countries worldwide and as a result, the narrative of which country leads in AI has become more prominent than ever," said Nesta Masley, the project manager of the AI Index. "However, data that clearly and quantitatively show where each country actually stands in AI is limited. The AI Index aimed to bridge this gap with a rigorous tool to help policymakers, business leaders, and the general public understand these geopolitical AI stories based on facts."

The USA leads by a large margin.
The USA has the most robust AI ecosystem in the world, surpassing any other country by a significant margin. The Global Vibrancy Tool ranks countries in various pillars of AI importance such as research and development (AI research output), economy (level of AI-related economic activity), and infrastructure (AI infrastructure foundations). The USA leads in almost all pillars. In 2023, the USA produced the highest quality AI research, built the most notable machine learning models, spent the most on private investments, and had the most AI mergers/acquisitions. Additionally, it had the highest number of AI-related job openings and received the most funding for AI startups.

China holds the second position but is lagging behind.
In recent years, there has been a lot of focus on comparing the USA and China in the field of AI. This tool indicates that while the two superpowers were once competitors, the USA is rapidly pulling ahead. The USA surpasses China in several key indicators. In 2023, the USA attracted more private investments in AI (67.2 billion dollars vs. 7.8 billion dollars) and produced more notable machine learning models (61 vs. 15). However, China leads in AI patent acquisitions and has generated more AI-related patents than the USA.

Countries around the world are increasingly prioritizing artificial intelligence (ai).
Global Vibrancy Tool illustrates how AI is becoming an increasingly political priority in various countries, and how this focus enhances the vitality of AI in countries. For example, in recent years, the United Arab Emirates has pledged to become a global leader in AI, investing heavily in high-quality research institutions such as the Technology Innovation Research Institute. According to the Global Vibrancy Tool, the UAE is ranked 5th this year.
The United Kingdom, which ranked third this year, is also at the forefront of AI and plans to host the world's first AI Safety Summit in 2023. South Korea, ranked 7th, will host the most recent summit in 2024, while France, ranked 6th, plans to host the next summit in early 2025. As countries increasingly prioritize AI, tools like the Global Vibrancy Tool will be very useful in tracking changes in national positions.

First released in 2017, the Global Vibrancy Tool has been re-released this year with more data and a more user-friendly, flexible interface.
"The Global Vibrancy Tool is unique from other AI-related national indicators in that users can adjust weights and assign various values to indicators," says Vanessa Parli, Research Director at Stanford HAI and a member of the AI Indicators Operation Committee. "We recognize that there are various perspectives on defining a country's AI position, so we have incorporated that flexibility into the system."
Parli also noted the importance of improved data tracking in the AI ecosystem through this tool. "The release of the Global Vibrancy Tool is just the beginning," she said. "We expect this tool to promote improved data collection activities related to AI. In fact, we expect new data-driven collaborations between HAI and countries around the world to emerge thanks to this tool."

The development team of the Global Vibrancy Tool aims to expand the dataset and cover more countries in future versions. "As countries build their AI ecosystems, we are continuously adding new data and including new countries," noted Masley.