Nature Index Supplement: Tracking Research Output and Collaborations in the Artificial Intelligence Era before the Launch of ChatGPT 2022
A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at natureindex.com.
The Nature index uses Count and share to track research output. Each article with at least one author from that country/territory or institution is given a Count of 1 This is the case regardless of the number of authors an article has, and it means that the same article can contribute to the Count of multiple countries/territories or institutions.
Adjusted Share accounts for the small annual variation in the total number of articles in the Nature Index journals. The percentage difference in the number of articles in the index in a given year compared to the number in a base year is what’s arrived at.
The sum of their shares on the paper is what determines the bilateral collaboration score between the two institutions. A bilateral collaboration can be between any two institutions or countries/territories co-authoring at least one article in the journals tracked by the Nature Index.
Each query will return a profile page that lists the country or institution’s recent outputs, from which it is possible to drill down for more information. Articles can be displayed by journal, and then by article. Research outputs are organized by subject area. The pages list the institution or country’s/territory’s top collaborators, as well as its relationship with other organizations. Users can track the performance of an institution over a period of time.
The tables in this supplement show the leading institutions and countries/territories in artificial intelligence based on their total output between 2019 and 2023, and the top rising institutions in the field based on the change in their output from 2019 to 2023. Nature Index output is measured by article Share and Dimensions output is measured by the number of publications. Nature Index data leads to the creation of more leading institution tables.
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is a demonstration of its importance as a technological revolution, but it has been less than two years since Nature index last looked at research data on the field. The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 was a watershed moment, immediately raising questions about how large language models (LLMs) would transform society, especially the world of work.
Research is just one area of inquiry about the impact of Artificial Intelligence. The supplement looked at some of the issues it faces, including how artificial intelligence might be used to evaluate studies and researchers, which many worried would just increase the already heavy burden of assessment. The role of academia is a big issue since current progress is largely driven by powerful companies that have a commercial interest in keeping their research and data secret. Lobbyists are helping to put consumer regulation in motion as a result of the big tech grip on AI.