US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford's new ranking

abcnews.go.com:

The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index

The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index.

There's no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across various dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm.

“The gap is actually widening” between the U.S. and China, said computer scientist Ray Perrault, director of the steering committee that runs Stanford's AI Index. “The U.S. is investing a lot more, at least at the level of firm creation and firm funding.”

The California-based university's Institute for Human-Centered AI — which has ties to Silicon Valley's tech industry — released the report Thursday as government AI officials from the U.S. and several allies met in San Francisco this week to compare notes on AI safety measures.

Here's which countries made the top 10:

The U.S. ranks No. 1 on Stanford's list and has consistently held that position since 2018 when it overtook China. It has far outpaced China in private AI investment, which hit $67.2 billion in the U.S. last year compared to $7.8 billion in China, according to the report. It also leads in publishing responsible AI research. It's no surprise that the home of commercial AI powerhouses such as Google and Meta, along with relative newcomers like OpenAI and