China is churning out AI research but ‘decoupled’ from global networks, report finds

Six of the top 10 ‘rising institutions’ in past five years are in China but connectivity lags behind US, Britain and Germany, according to AI index

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Competition in artificial intelligence has become heated but there are no formal bans on collaboration between countries. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 6:00pm, 25 Sep 2024Updated: 12:13pm, 26 Sep 2024

China’s artificial intelligence research output is rising rapidly but remains relatively “decoupled” from US-led global collaboration networks, a report by the Nature Index has found.

Six of the top 10 “rising institutions” in the field from 2019 to 2023 were in China, according to the latest AI index, compiled by part of the group which owns the British journal Nature.

However, China’s global connectivity is lagging behind the US – the leading AI research nation which also plays a central role in international collaboration – as well as Britain and Germany.

While Britain and Germany ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in research output, both countries have stronger international ties than China, according to the report.

Caroline Wagner, a science policy and international collaboration expert at Ohio State University in the US, said China’s apparent “decoupling” was less likely to be politically driven.

She noted that although AI has become a heated area of competition between the US and China, with increasing scrutiny, there are no formal bans on collaboration between countries.