China' AI research dramatically increased from 2007 to 2017. The number of government-affiliated AI research papers increased by 400 percent from 188 papers to 957 papers.
AI Index reported on Dec.12 that more than 87 percent of the world's research on artificial intelligence is contributed by the academe. Europe academes lead AI papers followed by China and the United States.
China is currently sponsoring new initiatives in AI research. Elsevier data showed that Chinese Academies attracts more AI talent which indicates that the country is on its way to become the world's leader in AI research. The country beat the United States in AI research in 2004. Predictions show that it will also overtake Europe in the next four years if the current trends continue.
AI Index report showed that the United States government's AI research increased by 90 percent from 35i papers to 670. Europe's AI research, also, increased by 55 percent from 953 to 1481research papers. The data shows that amidst China's current growth in AI research it still hasn't reached the level of government-sponsored AI research. But as the trend continues it is projected that China will soon outgrow Europe.
The Chinese government also collaborates with private companies like Tencent and Alibaba in its AI research. In the collaboration, the government funds the private company in manufacturing AI products. The country proves its importance as a global leader in AI research.
Elsevier report said that AI research significantly increased by 12 percent annually from 2013 until 2017. The report also said that Europe is still the largest contributor to AI research but it continues to lose publication share. It also noted that the United States is Regaining ground lost in the last five years and China is bound to overtake Europe in publication output in AI in the near future.
According to the analysis of Elsevier on the number of published research papers in five years over the last two decades, Europe's share of global AI research is constantly decreasing. The country's contribution in 1998 to 2002 is 35 percent of the total published research globally and it decreased to 30 percent from 2013 to 2017. China's share, on the other hand, increased from 9 percent from 1998 to 2002 to 24 percent from 2013 to 2017.
Sun Zhenan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation, said that China's artificial intelligence research has developed very fast in recent years and it is increasing its global significance within the field.
