Trends in the use of AI in science

This paper provides new insights into the role of Artificial Intelligence in scientific research across various domains of science. It is evident that AI as applied to science and research has been growing at a significant pace in recent years, with China leading the way, followed by the EU and the US. Indeed, the EU’s performance is found to be highly heterogeneous across its Member States. If current trends persist, the probability of future scientific discoveries being driven primarily by AI applications and tools is set to increase significantly.

Failure to keep pace with the development and uptake of AI in science poses important challenges for the EU, including the need to address concerns about strategic autonomy, trends in scientific work and the labour market and, more broadly, productivity and growth.

Authors: David Arranz, Stefano Bianchini, Valentina Di Girolamo, Julien Ravet