Second-place China to overtake the US in global AI race in five to 10 years on current growth, report says

  • Number of AI companies globally has doubled in four years, with almost 20,000 now developing technologies ranging from self-driving cars to medical algorithms

Over the next decade, more than US$35 billion has been publicly earmarked by governments to spend on AI development, with US$22 billion promised by China alone. Photo: Shutterstock

The US is the undisputed leader in artificial intelligence (AI) development while China is the fastest-growing country set to overtake the US in five to 10 years on its current trajectory, according to The Global AI Index published this week by Tortoise Intelligence.

The index, which ranks 54 countries based on their AI capabilities, measured seven key indicators over 12 months: talent, infrastructure, operating environment, research, development, government strategy and commercial ventures.

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