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  4. Regional Dives: Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East

Regional Dives: Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East

These regional breakdowns yield additional insights into the top 20% of global AI talent. It is important to note, however, that the sample sizes represented can be quite small. This is particularly the case for the Middle East region, for example, where the total top-tier talent in the sample is fewer than 35. This is also the case for certain individual countries in Europe. Nonetheless, we think these diverse regions are worthwhile to dive into, though we hope you view them with the small “N” context in mind.

Europe

Key Takeaways:

  • More than 50% of top-tier AI talent are produced in three European countries, while the vast majority of job opportunities for such talent are concentrated in four countries.
  • Of the four major AI hubs in Europe, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are heavily dependent on foreign talent, while Germany and France have notably improved their retention of top-tier AI talent.
  • While Western Europe has long benefitted from a robust university ecosystem, the relative rise of Russia and Greece’s top-tier AI talent is owed to the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the National Technical University of Athens and University of Patras, respectively.
  • Outside of academia, however, most of the top-tier AI talent in Europe end up working for American companies that have a significant presence in Europe (e.g. Google’s DeepMind in London and its R&D lab in Zurich).
Figure 1. Where do European top-tier AI talent originate (based on undergraduate degree)?

Note: “Others” include Belgium, Portugal, Slovakia, Ukraine, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Romania, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, and Armenia.
Figure 2. Most attractive European countries to work for global top-tier AI talent

Note: “Others” include Spain, Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Croatia, Sweden, and Italy.
Figure 3. Top AI institutions in Europe

Note: Rankings based on fractional count of authors. For a fuller explanation, see the detailed methodology.
Figure 4. European countries’ dependence on foreign top-tier AI talent

Note: Data shows foreign AI talent as a proportion of a country’s top-tier AI talent pool.
Figure 5. European countries’ retention of domestic AI talent

Note: Data shows proportion of domestic talent that stay in their home country.

Asia-Pacific

Key Takeaways:

  • Asia-Pacific countries have made strides in keeping the domestic AI talent they produce, though Australia has moved in the other direction, even slightly increasing its reliance on foreign AI talent.
  • While China is the obvious elephant in producing top-tier AI talent in the Asia-Pacific, the country, along with South Korea, are the top countries in the region in retaining AI talent. For South Korea, its Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology seems to be a main driver in cultivating and retaining an entirely domestic AI talent pool.
  • Japan and Singapore appear to have had the worst AI talent retention rates in the Asia-Pacific region, which explains why they’ve fallen off the list in 2022. Since 2019, the former has lost 85% of its top-tier AI talent and the latter has lost 65%.
Figure 1. Where do top-tier Asia-Pacific AI talent originate?

Note: “Others” include Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.
Figure 2. Where do top-tier AI talent work in the Asia-Pacific region?

Note: “Others” include Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan.

Figure 3. Top AI institutions in the Asia-Pacific region

Note: Rankings based on fractional count of authors. For a fuller explanation, see the detailed methodology.
Figure 4. Asia-Pacific countries’ dependence on foreign AI talent

Note: Data shows foreign AI talent as a proportion of a country’s top AI talent pool.
Figure 5. Asia-Pacific countries’ retention of domestic AI talent

Note: Data shows proportion of domestic talent that stay in their home country.

Middle East

Key Takeaways:

  • The Middle East region has seen a relative decline in producing top-tier AI talent over the last few years.
  • Israel and Iran command the lion’s share of top-tier AI talent supply in the Middle East, while the former dominates the top AI institutions in the region.
  • Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have increased their standing as attractive places for top-tier AI talent to work.
Figure 1. Middle East region’s contribution to global top-tier AI talent

Note: Middle East region includes Israel, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.
Figure 2. Where do Middle Eastern top-tier AI talent originate (based on undergraduate degree)?

Note: “Others” include Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
Figure 3. Where do global top-tier AI talent work in the Middle East?
Figure 4. Top AI institutions in the Middle East