Top AI researchers, China contributes 26%: Global Talent Think Tank report released

In 2019, "MIT Technology Review" reported a report on the growth rate of China's artificial intelligence talent pool. The main findings of the report are very interesting: In the past decade, the number of elite artificial intelligence scholars from China has increased tenfold, but relatively few people stay in China to work.

This week, a report revealed new analysis from the think tank behind it, showing how the makeup of the global AI talent pool has changed since then – during this critical period. The artificial intelligence industry has undergone a major transformation and has become the hottest technology field.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has penetrated into every corner of the world. The rapid development of large-scale language models and machine learning methods, as well as the amazing improvements in computing hardware, have increased the capabilities of artificial intelligence to the level of "promoting a new round of industrial revolution."

It can be foreseen that a large amount of capital and talents in the technology community will be used to implement artificial intelligence applications. Competition among countries in the field of AI will be more intense than ever, and much of the competition will revolve around an indispensable input to the AI ​​ecosystem: talent.

The "Global Artificial Intelligence Talent Tracking Survey Report 2.0" released by the MacroPolo think tank under the Paulson Institute (Paulson Institute) in the United States clarifies the top Global distribution and mobility of artificial intelligence researchers and scientists.

In order to make an apples-to-apples comparison, this 2023 updated version (2.0), like the 1.0 version, uses NeurIPS, the top conference in the field of artificial intelligence, as a sample. At the December 2022 meeting, NeurIPS accepted a record 2671 papers, an acceptance rate of 25.6%, compared with 1428 papers in 2019, an acceptance rate of 21.6%.

Judging from the number of participants, submission scale and popularity, NeurIPS is one of the most representative artificial intelligence conferences, which also means that it is very suitable for Analyzing the top (top 20%) artificial intelligence research talent. We chose to focus on top talent because we believe top talent are most likely to play a leading role in research breakthroughs and establishing new applications in commercial fields.

"Global Artificial Intelligence Talent Tracking Survey Report 2.0" covers the following points:

In the United States, intelligent talents are still the first choice for top talents destination. Among U.S. institutions, U.S. and Chinese researchers (based on undergraduate degrees) account for 75% of top talent in intelligence, up from 58% in 2019. Additionally, the U.S. remains the leading workplace for elite AI talent (top 2%) and hosts 60% of top AI institutions.

2. In addition to the United States and China, the United Kingdom and South Korea, as well as Europe, have slightly increased their share as work destinations for top artificial intelligence researchers. In terms of sources of artificial intelligence researchers (based on undergraduate degrees), India and Canada have seen a relative decline.

3. China has expanded its AI talent pool in the past few years to meet the growing demand for AI industry. With China producing a significant proportion of the world’s top AI researchers (rising from 29% in 2019 to 47% in 2022), it’s no surprise that more Chinese talent is working in domestic industries.

4. A similar situation seems to be happening in India. While India remains a significant exporter of top AI researchers, its ability to retain talent is growing. In 2019, almost all Indian AI researchers (based on undergraduate degree) chose to pursue opportunities abroad. But by 2022, one in five Indian AI researchers ended up working in India.

5. These trends in China and India appear to reflect a broader pattern over the past few years: Top AI researchers have generally shown lower mobility. In 2022, only 42% of top AI researchers are foreigners currently working in other countries, down 13 percentage points from 2019, meaning more of the top talent will stay in their home countries.

The report uses 8 charts to intuitively and clearly describe the career development paths of top artificial intelligence researchers.

1. Where the most elite AI researchers (top ~2%) choose to work:

"The most elite artificial intelligence researchers" are defined here as the authors of papers selected for NeurIPS oral presentations, representing the most prestigious paper category. The acceptance rate for oral presentations in 2022 is 1.8%.

2. Primary countries of origin of the most elite AI researchers (top 2%, based on undergraduate degree)

It can be seen that the number of top AI talents in China and the United States is now very close.

3. Top 25 top artificial intelligence research institutions

It can be seen that Tsinghua University and Peking University have Entered the top ten.

4. Top countries of origin of top AI researchers (top 20%) working at U.S. institutions

The combined proportion of Chinese and American researchers is larger than in the past, accounting for 75% in total.

5. Country of origin of top AI researchers (top 20%, based on undergraduate degree)

6. The country where the top researchers (top 20%) currently work are headquartered:

It can be seen that the current United States Institutions and companies are still the main destination for talent, but China and Europe are becoming more attractive.

7. The ratio of some top artificial intelligence researchers (top 20%) working abroad to staying at home

8. After completing their PhDs in the United States, the vast majority of non-American artificial intelligence talents stay in the United States

This number is very intuitive : Nearly 80% of scholars studying for doctoral degrees in the United States will stay and work in the United States. In addition, the report also pointed out that 90% of AI-related professional scholars who graduated in China will stay in China.

It can be seen that in terms of training and introduction of AI talents, the United States still attracts the most talents with an overwhelming advantage, but China is catching up.