Tracking the Backgrounds of Top AI Researchers
Many Cases: Chinese Universities to US Graduate Schools
Among Top 25 AI Institutions, 15 Are in the US
China Has 6... Japan and Korea Have None
As the AI (Artificial Intelligence) supremacy battle between the US and China intensifies, a survey reveals that China is a 'hidden supporter' of the US AI technology development, reported Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 6th (local time).
"40% of Elite AI Researchers Working in the US Graduated from Chinese Universities"
On this day, Nikkei cited the 'Global AI Talent Tracker 2.0' report by MacroPolo, a think tank of the Paulson Institute in the US, stating that "about 40% of outstanding AI researchers affiliated with US companies and research institutions graduated from Chinese universities."
MacroPolo defined authors whose papers were accepted at NeurIPS, the most prestigious international conference in the AI field, in 2019 and 2022 as 'top AI researchers' and tracked and analyzed their affiliated institutions and backgrounds.
The nationality of top AI researchers working at American research institutions. The proportion of Chinese researchers, which was around 27% in 2019, surged by 9 percentage points to 38% in 2022. Data provided by Macropolo.
Nikkei also noted, "(China) has already surpassed US university graduates to become a mainstay," adding, "The truth of AI research cannot be explained by the simple framework of US-China confrontation."
In fact, looking at the national origins of top AI researchers working at US research institutions, the proportion of Chinese origin increased sharply by 11 percentage points from about 27% in 2019 to 38% in 2022. The US also rose from 31% to 37%, but China surpassed the US in growth rate. The rest?Europe (11%→6%), India (11%→7%), Canada (3%→2%), and others (17%→10%)?all declined.
"Many Cases of 'Chinese Undergraduate Graduates → US Graduate Schools'"
Nikkei estimated that many cases involved completing undergraduate studies at Chinese universities and then advancing to graduate schools in the US. Masashi Sugiyama, Director of the Center for Advanced Intelligence Project at RIKEN in Japan, told Nikkei, "Outstanding young researchers from China are contributing to the development of companies and research institutions."
It was also confirmed that the universities from which top AI researchers graduated (undergraduate basis) were predominantly Chinese universities. The proportion of Chinese universities reached a remarkable 47% in 2022, nearly half. Next were the US (18%), Europe (12%), India (5%), Canada (2%), the UK (2%), Korea (2%), Russia (2%), and others (10%).
As China has fully entered the AI technology development competition and actively utilized domestic talent, the results are also reflected in the survey. According to Nikkei, since the 1990s, China has actively utilized talent returning from Europe and the US through the 'Returning Overseas Students Policy' and the 'Thousand Talents Plan' to raise the level of scientific research.
In fact, the proportion of talent working in their home country was below half at 45% in 2019 but exceeded half at 58% in 2022. Conversely, the proportion working overseas decreased from 55% to 42%.
Still Many Excellent US Research Institutions and Companies, a Strength
However, Nikkei viewed that at present, the US, where the world's top-level large IT companies and research institutions are concentrated, remains highly popular as a workplace, making it likely that the US will maintain an advantage in research capabilities for the time being.
According to the report, as of 2022, among the top 25 institutions (including companies) for AI research, the US had 15, including Google, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Carnegie Mellon University. Chinese institutions, including Tsinghua University, increased threefold from 2 in 2019 to 6 in 2022, but this is still much fewer compared to the US.
Nikkei also pointed out that while the US and China fiercely compete, Japan's presence is faint. In MacroPolo's 2022 ranking, no Japanese institutions were included in the top 25. The same applies to Korea.
Regarding this, Director Sugiyama said, "Although the number of students entering IT-related doctoral programs is increasing worldwide, the number of people seeking doctoral degrees in Japan remains low."
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