Artificial intelligenceand it is now such a consolidated reality and so pervasive that it has entered our daily lives without us even realizing it: we use virtual assistance applications, we consult the personalized recommendations of streaming algorithms, we pay by card at the supermarket and this payment is evaluated by AI and so on. “This ubiquity marks a significant transition point, as technology continues to evolve and increasingly impact our everyday lives,” he explains the Public Accounts Observatory led by Gianpaolo Galli in his investigation entitled "Artificial Intelligence: what it is and where it is". The study focuses on the economic and entrepreneurial profile of artificial intelligence and the analysis shows that The United States dominates the AI landscape, even if Europe "defends itself well". It's Italy? It is far behind, except for the number of publications in scientific journals.
The geography of artificial intelligence: the USA dominates the scene
Artificial intelligence speaks American. In the last decade the investments in AI have increased 13 times and from 2016 to today more than 41.500 new businesses that develop various aspects of AI. Where? Over half (21 thousand) were born in the United States, a country which is by far the leader in the field. Followed by India with 5.616 companies (mostly outsourcing to Western companies), the United Kingdom with 4.646 companies, Canada with 2.576 and China with 2.430. In terms of provision of risk capital to companies that develop AI, the leadership remains US (273 billion dollars), followed at a distance by China (76 billion), Israel (18 billion), India (17 billion), United Kingdom (16 billion).
And the lead in the rankings doesn't change even when looking at large companies and large universities from which the founders of the new initiatives come. As far as companies are concerned, these are American companies, led by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, McKinsey and Apple, while speaking of universities, MIT and Stanford are in the lead, with the only exceptions of the University of Tel Aviv and that of Toronto.
Going forward with the data, the scenario is always the same: the USA invests in AI 160 dollars per capita compared to 24 dollars in the Eurozone at 9 and 12 in China; in the United States, in 2021, almost abusiness per million inhabitants. In Europe, 0,38 per million, in China 0,08 per million. Even on patents “the dominance of the United States remains firm”, a country in which in one year companies obtain 28,5 patents per million inhabitants. Also in this case the value of the Eurozone is much lower (2,1 per million inhabitants), but double that of China", explains the CPI Observatory.
In summary: for the moment, artificial intelligence seems to be a primarily US business thanks to the dominance of big tech and a volume of investments that seems difficult to achieve.
Italy and artificial intelligence
Italy is light years away from the numbers we have listed. Not only compared to the United States and China, but also compared to Europe. Our country invests in Artificial Intelligence 2 euros per capita, less than 120 million overall, while also by number of businesses per capita (0,10) it is well below the Eurozone (0,38, we remind you). Patents related to the population? 0,4 per million inhabitants, "a value that is one fifth of the average of the euro area", highlights the study which shows that Italy does not disappoint in a single indicator which is that of citations of AI articles in scientific journals. Again in relation to population, the Eurozone leads with 132 citations in a year per million inhabitants. The United States follows closely with 100 citations per million inhabitants and Italy with 95 citations.
“It is difficult to say whether this data reflects an actual academic superiority of Italy compared to the United States (which seems a bit unlikely) or the fact that, if in the United States a good idea translates into a good business, in Italy ( and in many ways also in the rest of Europe) ends up in a scientific journal due to a ecosystem overall less suitable for the creation of new businesses. Perhaps Italy, and Europe, should worry more about this aspect than about becoming a regulatory hub", conclude the experts.
The regulatory evolution on artificial intelligence: USA, EU and China
And speaking of regulation, in the United States after years of regulatory fragmentation between the various states, on October 30 President Joe Biden issued an executive order that aims to promote “responsible innovation” with a focus on new safety standards for AI, protection of privacy, promotion of equality and civil rights, support for consumers and patients, and support for workers affected by AI transformation. The initiative also aims to promote innovation and competition, ensure responsible use by public institutions and strengthen American leadership in the international arena.
“On this side of the ocean, after years of studies and a report by the High Level Group on AI, on 9 December 2023 there was a first agreement between the European Commission and Parliament on theAI Act, which is characterized by a very ambitious approach and defines a series of binding rules to regulate the use of AI in different contexts. In intention, the AI Act represents a milestone in regulating AI on a large scale, placing the European Union at the forefront in defining clear and binding rules to govern the responsible use of these advanced technologies", recalls the report which then moves on to China, underlining that, in the latter case, the regulation of AI passes through an approach that reflects attention to the control of information, the prevention of political dissidence and the limitation of the operations of foreign companies in the national market. “The legislation seeks to balance internal control with greater flexibility for Chinese companies operating internationally in the generative AI sector,” underlines the Observatory.
