# Polarization and Integration in Global AI Research

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.17602 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.17602/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 41 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 19 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [OpenAlex: A fully-open index of scholarly works, authors, venues, institutions, and concepts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.01833/) (2022)
- [The Statistical Physics of Real-World Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.05095/) (2018)
- [China and the U.S. produce more impactful AI research when collaborating together](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.11123/) (2023)
- [Unbiased sampling of network ensembles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1406.1197/) (2014)
- [Growth of International Cooperation in Science: Revisiting Six Case Studies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.07208/) (2016)
- [Enhanced reconstruction of weighted networks from strengths and degrees](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1307.2104/) (2013)
- [Is Europe Evolving Toward an Integrated Research Area?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1302.3126/) (2013)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The AI race amplifies security risks and international tensions. While the US restricts mobility and knowledge flows, challenges regulatory efforts to protect its advantage, China leads initiatives of global governance. Both strategies depend on cross-country relationships in AI innovation; yet, how this system evolves is unclear. Here, we measure the processes of polarization and integration in the global AI research over three decades by using large-scale data of scientific publications. Comparing cross-country collaboration and citation links to their random realizations, we find that the US and China have long diverged in both dimensions, forming two poles around which global AI research increasingly revolves. While the United Kingdom and Germany have integrated exclusively with the US, many European countries have converged with both poles. Developing and further developed countries, however, only integrate with China, signaling its expanding influence over the international AI research landscape. Our results inform national science policies and efforts toward global AI regulations.