New research from Mannheim Business School reveals that Asia and North America dominate the global production of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research within the life sciences sector. The study highlights that the United States and China together account for an impressive 45% of all AI-related research conducted between 2000 and 2022, underscoring significant geographic disparities that could hinder the widespread application of AI in medicine.
Importance of Life Sciences and AI
The term “life sciences” encompasses various biological fields, including biology, biochemistry, and genetics, as well as their applications in health and medicine. AI has the potential to revolutionise healthcare through advancements in life science research, particularly in areas such as drug discovery, diagnostics, and personalised medicine. However, the overall impact and speed of this transformation are closely linked to geographic concentration. The uneven distribution of research output can lead to significant gaps in knowledge and application.
Research Findings and Analysis
In a comprehensive analysis of over 390,000 AI publications in life sciences from 2000 to 2022, Professor Marc Lerchenmüller and Dr. Leo Schmallenbach of Mannheim Business School, alongside Professor Till Bärnighausen from Heidelberg University, examined 14.5 million associated citations across six global regions. The findings reveal a complex picture of research productivity and influence.
While Asia and North America lead in the number of total publications, it is noteworthy that Europe and North America significantly contribute to research published in high-ranking journals. Together, these regions account for approximately 70% of such publications, indicating a higher quality of output in terms of academic recognition. High-ranking outlets include the top three journals within specific research fields as well as leading conference proceedings.
Relevance of Geographic Concentration
To gauge the influence of research on subsequent studies, the researchers employed forward citations as a key metric. Their analysis showed that Northern America, Europe, and Oceania produce research most pertinent to advancing AI applications in life sciences. In contrast, Latin America and Africa combined contribute less than 5% of the total global research output. This is particularly concerning, given that these regions are home to over 25% of the world’s population, suggesting a missed opportunity for diverse insights and innovations.
Risks of Imbalanced Research
“When research is geographically concentrated, it can lead to an imbalanced evolution of data,” says Prof. Lerchenmüller. This imbalance threatens to generate AI models that could yield biased recommendations, given the diverse characteristics of patient populations. To mitigate the risk of AI-informed medical care being biased towards certain demographics, it is essential to conduct more accelerated research and develop diverse training data sets globally.”
Importance of International Collaboration
The study further discovered that international collaborations yield more relevant research than national partnerships. AI life science research resulting from international collaborations garners 20% more citations compared to research stemming from national collaborations. Despite this, the rate of international collaboration among scientists is declining, notes Dr. Schmallenbach. This decline poses challenges to leveraging collective expertise, which is vital for advancing AI applications.
Recommendations
To fully harness the potential of AI research and improve global health outcomes, greater integration of global expertise and a renewed emphasis on international collaboration should be prioritised. By fostering a more inclusive research environment, the life sciences community can address the pressing challenges facing healthcare and ensure that AI technology benefits diverse populations around the world.