As governments race to unlock AI’s potential within their countries, who is leading the pack, and who is falling behind? Get the latest research and advice about what it takes to get an advantage in the global AI arms race.

1. The New Global AI Arms Race:
On Artificial Intelligence
How Nations Must Compete

2. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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Introduction
Introduction
As governments race to unlock AI’s potential within their countries, who is
leading the pack, and who is falling behind? Get the latest research and
advice about what it takes to get an advantage in the global AI arms race.
The New Global AI Arms Race: How Nations Must Compete
On Artificial Intelligence

3. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Most industries already recognize that artificial intelligence (AI) has the
potential to create significant economic value – but government support and
regulation can also bring the benefits of AI to citizens all over the world.
I recently interviewed Trung Ghi and Abhishek Srivastava, who co-authored an
article called “The global AI arms race - How nations can avoid being left
behind” about the global landscape for AI, and which countries are leading and
lagging in the AI arms race. They also shared important insight for decision-
makers and world leaders who want to gain a competitive edge in this critical
race for AI growth.

4. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Why AI Should Be Important to Governments
The ultimate goal for every nation should be growing a resilient economy, not just
dominating within a specific region or attracting large corporations. Trung and Abhishek
state:
“Artificial intelligence promises to have the same disruptive effect on today’s global
economy as electricity in the 19th century...In the late 19th century, as electricity was
being popularized, it became apparent that it required a new framework, as it was
different to virtually every other commodity. Whoever mastered the engineering and
economics of electricity would indelibly change the course of history….progress with
transformative technologies was neither linear nor predictable. The benefits of
electrification did not accumulate for early adopters, but for those who had identified
how electrification could transform their societies within its existing context.”

5. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Why AI Should Be Important to Governments
AI is on track to transform countries and industries in a similar way. The
countries that will reap the most benefit from AI are the ones that adopt
strategies that build on a foundation of their existing local and global economic
ecosystems.
“AI can contribute to or improve on almost every product, service, or
infrastructure that countries are built on,” Abhishek says. “AI will lead to better
products, and help you win with your products. Better AI enables you to offer a
better customer experience, better features, and a lower price point. So leading
governments understand this well, and are building infrastructure around it.”

6. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Assessing Leaders
In their research, Trung and Abhishek assessed countries according to four primary
factors:
● AI start-up activity: Includes investment in AI start-ups per capita and number
of unicorns per million people.
● AI-related jobs: Percentage of jobs in the economy that are related to AI.
● Private sector AI adoption: Includes the level of AI adoption and the existence
of funds committed to AI in the top 10 local listed companies.
● AI knowledge and skills: Includes university-led/funded incubators in the top 5
universities and the number of AI-related patents filed per million people.

7. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Which Countries Are Leading the Global Arms Race?
Abhishek says, “When we look at these four dimensions, we see that China is putting
a lot of effort into AI and building these capabilities. But in terms of private adoption,
we were pleasantly surprised to see smaller countries like Israel and Singapore are
taking a big lead. They are the crucible of the labs of the world, so to speak.”
The United States and China are also power players in the world of AI. Long-term, we
know that more data leads to better AI, so the scale of China and the U.S. is going to
play out with the amount of data they collect.

8. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Which Countries Are Leading the Global Arms Race?
The U.S. also leads the way in designing algorithms and developing the next
wave of AI tech. Because of that innovation, they are able to attract the best
talent, which becomes a virtuous cycle for the country.
Within the private sector, Germany has a substantial amount of AI-related jobs,
especially in SME and manufacturing.

9. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Recommendations for Unlocking the Potential of AI
When I asked Trung about the policy levers that have the greatest impact for countries,
and what nations can do to gain traction in the global AI arms race, he said:
“One of the things that I would say is the investments in R&D supports. The U.K., the
Americas, and Canada started investing in AI a decade ago, and they're reaping the
benefits of it now. It's almost business as usual in those countries – while those that are
just emerging will really need to push a lot of the effort into how R&D is funded.”
Finding the right balance between sharing data and protecting data will also play an
important role. If a country has draconian regulations about how data can be used, that
can have a negative impact on how much AI will benefit a country – but privacy
protections for data are also important.

10. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Explore More Data About the AI Arms Race
Trung and Abhishek predict that although we’re currently in the midst of a
global AI arms race, within the next 10 years, more and more AI applications will
be ubiquitous and accessible to everyone – just like electricity in the 19th
century.
Some countries will move faster than others, but AI will soon be quite pervasive
– and that will translate into big economic benefits for countries that are paying
attention and making the right moves in terms of AI.
To see this team’s in-depth research on the current leaders and laggers in the
global arms race, read their full article.

11. Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2020 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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