Study says China has overtaken the US as the top workplace for elite AI researchers
A Carnegie China study puts China ahead of the US in employing top AI researchers; the sample methodology is not disclosed in the report.
Original event 2026-09-25
Carnegie China, a think tank, released a study this week saying China employed 41 per cent of the world’s leading AI researchers last year, ahead of the United States at 34 per cent.
The same study’s comparison: in 2022 the US still led decisively at 46 per cent to China’s 27 per cent, a reversal within three years. The report attributes the shift to a booming domestic AI industry and tighter US visa restrictions.
The study is titled “Who’s ahead in the global AI talent race”. The shares rest on the think tank’s own tracked sample of researchers; the report does not state the sample scope or methodology, so read the figures with that caveat.