On 25 February 2026, AMiner, the academic big‑data platform developed by the Knowledge Engineering Lab at Tsinghua University, officially released the 2026 AI2000 Most Influential Scholars list and the Citation Trends (CT) report. The report draws on databases such as OpenAlex and CrossRef with a data cutoff of 27 November 2024, and evaluates global AI research groups and influence using multiple indicators including the D‑index (discipline H‑index), total citations, recent highly cited papers, and the newly introduced Citation Velocity.
The report shows that Asia—especially China—and Europe have continued to increase their influence in AI research. In machine learning, a cohort of young scholars and emerging research centers has rapidly risen, and Citation Velocity has become an important reference for measuring "emerging impact." This update further confirms that the global AI research landscape is accelerating its shift from a traditional U.S./Europe dominance toward a more multipolar and diverse pattern.
Key findings from AI2000: Asia and Europe both on the rise
Since its launch in 2019, the AI2000 list has become one of the most authoritative systems for assessing scholar influence in AI. The 2026 edition continues to focus on the 2,000 most influential scholars over the past decade (2016–2025) and adds a Citation Trends (CT) module to analyze dynamics in recent highly cited papers.
The report indicates:
- Asia’s influence continues to climb: The proportion of Chinese scholars on the AI2000 list has increased significantly, making China the world’s second‑largest contributor. Scholars from mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore are particularly prominent in machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing.
- Europe’s steady growth: Countries such as the UK, Germany and France have strengthened their influence in foundational theory and interdisciplinary applications. Some emerging centers (for example, the University of Oxford and various Max Planck Institutes) have moved up noticeably in the rankings.
- The United States remains a leader, though its margin has narrowed, with strengths concentrated in top universities and corporate labs (such as Stanford, MIT and Google DeepMind).
Tang Jie, AMiner’s founder and a professor at Tsinghua University, said at the release: "The AI2000 and CT lists not only reflect a decade of academic accumulation, but—through indicators like Citation Velocity—also capture the rapid rise of emerging forces."
Machine learning: young scholars and new centers stand out
In machine learning, the report highlights the rapid ascent of a group of young scholars and emerging research centers:
- Several Chinese universities and research institutions are especially prominent in machine learning. A number of scholars under 40 have entered the top ranks thanks to highly cited and innovative work.
- Some emerging European centers (such as Helmholtz AI centers in Germany and institutions affiliated with the ELLIS network in the Netherlands) show strong momentum in areas like generalization, causal reasoning and explainable AI.
- The Citation Velocity metric is the report’s standout addition. It measures the citation growth rate within the first 24 months after publication to identify "emerging impact." In machine learning, many high‑Citation‑Velocity papers are from young teams in Asia and Europe, reflecting these regions’ rapid responsiveness to hot topics and innovative capacity.
Charts in the CT report (figures 3 and 5) show that between 2024 and 2025, Asia contributed 38% and Europe 29% of the top‑100 machine‑learning papers by Citation Velocity—both notable increases from the prior year. The U.S. still dominates overall but with a reduced share.
Citation Velocity: a new yardstick for "emerging impact"
AMiner has promoted Citation Velocity at scale in this report as a complement to traditional metrics like H‑index and total citations. The indicator focuses on short‑term citation acceleration after publication, offering a more sensitive signal for academic hotspots and rising forces.
The report notes:
- High‑Citation‑Velocity papers are often concentrated in 2024–2025 hot topics such as large‑model alignment, agentic AI, multimodal learning and AI for Science.
- Young scholars from Asia and Europe perform particularly well on Citation Velocity, demonstrating their ability to track international frontiers and rapidly produce high‑impact work.
- Introducing this metric shifts the rankings from a single focus on "historical influence" toward a dual assessment of "current vitality and future potential," better matching AI’s fast iteration cycle.
Industry impact and implications
The 2026 AMiner AI2000 and CT release provides important reference data for the global AI research ecosystem. It offers data support for research institutions, talent recruitment and funding decisions, and helps industry assess technology trends and plan collaborations.
For China, the list reaffirms the country’s transition from an "AI research powerhouse" to an "AI research leader." The report recommends continued support for young scholars and emerging centers and strengthened international collaboration to play a larger role in global AI governance and standards setting.
Europe’s rise reminds the global research community that a multipolar competitive landscape is forming, and that cross‑regional and interdisciplinary collaboration will be key to future AI research.
Conclusion
The AI2000 and Citation Trends report published by AMiner on 25 February 2026 presents objective data on the latest global AI research influence: Asia—especially China—is continuing to rise, Europe is growing steadily, young machine‑learning scholars and new research centers are the clearest highlights, and Citation Velocity has become an important new metric for measuring emerging impact.
In an era of rapid AI progress, this report not only summarizes a decade of academic achievement but also offers deep insight into future trends. It signals that the global AI research map is moving from traditional centers toward diverse coexistence, with the rises of China and Europe injecting new energy and possibilities into this evolution.
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