314.3
▼ 52% since the 2017 peak
top AI authors and inventors moving into the US, October 2024 (12-month rolling average)
20162024
What the chart shows
Zeki’s data on top AI authors and inventors shows the number moving into the United States falling from 546.3 in January 2016 to 314.3 in October 2024 (12-month rolling averages), a 42% drop. After a peak of 652.3 in October 2017 and a dip to 430.1 in January 2021, it recovered to 638.3 in July 2022, then fell every quarter.
Moves out of the US fell by 35% over the same period, from 294.8 to 192.6, after peaking at 412.9 in October 2018. More people moved in than out in every quarter, but the gap narrowed from 251.4 to 121.6. The AI Index reads falling inflows and outflows across regions as talent staying within national systems.
Key numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Moving in, Jan 2016 | 546.25 |
| Moving in, Oct 2017 (peak) | 652.25 |
| Moving in, Oct 2024 | 314.25 |
| Moving out, Jan 2016 | 294.83 |
| Moving out, Oct 2018 (peak) | 412.94 |
| Moving out, Oct 2024 | 192.64 |
How to read it
- Counts top AI authors and inventors (people with observable AI output such as papers and patents) whose recorded location moves into or out of the US, as a 12-month rolling average sampled each quarter.
- The report’s chart title says 2016–25; the data file ends in October 2024. The data covers six other regions, in the CSV.
- For net flows by country to September 2025, see the related chart.
Source: Zeki Data, 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 8.3.6: Inflow and outflow of top AI authors and inventors by region, 2016–25. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
Download the data (CSV) · Cite this chart
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
Download the data (CSV) · Cite this chart
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