The best countries to study AI aside from the US and China

No matter how you slice it, it’s clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of our lives.

AI is influencing seemingly everything, from how businesses operate to how people interact with devices and how we make sense of the world. And its role is growing still. 

This boom has called for an increasing demand for skilled, experienced professionals in the AI industry, making it a great time to begin working towards a career in this field.

AI engineers bring in an average base pay of US$127,986 in a year — and in the best countries to study AI, this higher-than-average salary is more than possible.

You must know the best countries to study AI

While it’s unlikely that AI will fully replace human labour, the person who is competent in using AI will definitely be seen as better at their job than you.

Thus, understanding how AI works and how to implement it in your industry and job role, is a key step to not getting left behind in the changing technological landscape and enhancing your employability.  

But where should you start? 

Perhaps you’d expected the best countries to study AI to be well-developed ones with access to cutting-edge technology for the newest breakthroughs. Think of the US or China, which attract considerable attention for their contributions to AI. 

While you’re correct, there is another side to this. When developed countries are already boosting their growth with AI, this technology could further widen the gap between them and developing countries. 

The latter are also often more susceptible to technological disruptions in healthcare, education, infrastructure, energy, and other crucial areas.

AI holds massive potential for helping these countries tackle these issues — making the demand for AI experts even more significant here.

For example, in South Africa, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is low, AI tools can be used to support diagnosis and treatment recommendations, freeing up doctors to spend more time with patients and improving care.

In Uganda, an AI solution named Winnie was created to provide pro-bono legal services to Ugandans, especially citizens of rural communities who would not otherwise access legal redress.

So if you think the best countries to study AI are just the US and China, think again.

Instead, the best countries are where there’s a huge need for AI experts in a wide range of roles — like the following countries below

8 best countries to study AI

US

The US is naturally one of the best countries to study AI. 

You’ll find top-notch faculties and resources here, with multiple universities ready to equip students with the latest curriculum and hands-on practice. The future carries much promise – the country is home to the most AI start-ups, with its ecosystem receiving the most private equity and venture capital funding to date. 

Karat and Harris Poll’s latest Tech Hiring Trends report predicts that the tech job market in 2025 put AI engineering roles as the country’s top hiring priority – 60% of US tech managers are hiring for AI engineer positions, a significant jump from 35% in 2023. 

Pursue a degree in AI at one of these top-ranked universities:

• Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts
• University of California Berkeley, California

Germany

Germany is poised to be a global leader in AI and machine learning while simultaneously advancing environmental sustainability, making it one of the best countries to study AI. 

It was one of the first countries to establish a national strategy for AI in 2018 and has since worked to strengthen both national and European competitiveness in AI, prioritising human-centred AI for the benefit of workers and society.

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) reports that the country’s efforts to attract skilled AI professionals have been mostly successful. Still, it requires more to broaden the talent pool – for example, women are needed in AI research and leadership to narrow the gender gap. 

Explore machine learning and AI courses in one of these universities:

• Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Schweinfurt
• Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Köln
• Technical University of Munich, Munich

China 

Arguably one of the most significant contributors to AI research globally, and a formidable competitor to the US’s prowess.

Companies like Tencent, Huawei, and Baidu lead the country’s AI innovation with new releases. There’s Tencent’s Hunyuan’s large language model (LLM), a Chinese alternative to ChatGPT, Huawei’s Pangu, an LLM with 1.085 trillion parameters, and Baidu’s Ernie AI model, which the organisation claims offers capabilities on par with GPT-4.

The government is also investing heavily in the AI arms race. IDC expects China’s investment to reach US$38.1 billion in 2027, the equivalent of 9% of the world’s total.

Other factors include its strong manufacturing economy, which allows AI to integrate with other industries to create new applications and improve efficiency. 

The best universities for AI in China – and even globally – are:

• Tsinghua University, Beijing 
• University of Electronic Science & Technology of China, Chengdu
• Zhejiang University, Hangzhou

UK

Similar to the US, the UK is home to world-class universities, cutting-edge startups, and established industries offering opportunities in the AI sector. 

According to Tech Nation’s 2024 report, the UK tech sector boasts 171 unicorns – high-performing startups that reach a valuation of US$1 billion without being listed on the stock market – and a market valuation of US$1.1 trillion, establishing it as the leading tech ecosystem in Europe. Key fields are semiconductors, health, security, media, fintech, and transportation.

Naturally, the country also has a strong reputation for AI research and development.

You’ll find prominent machine learning research groups at top universities such as University College London, King’s College London, and Imperial College London. There are also leading centres for AI ethics and policy, such as the Alan Turing Institute and the Oxford Internet Institute.

Interested? Pursue a degree at one of these universities: 

• University of Oxford, Oxford
• Imperial College London, London
• University of Surrey, Surrey

Canada

Canada has quietly emerged as a top player in the international AI research scene. 

Between 2022 and 2023, US$2.57 billion was invested in AI research in the country. The government has also committed to investing in the development of responsible AI across the country, investing over US$124 million in the Université de Montréal in June 2023 via the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

The country expects 35,000 new innovative jobs to be created over the next five years. Coupled with the opportunity to live in cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa that rank in CBRE’s top 20 tech talent markets in North America, Canada is poised to be one of the best countries to study AI. 

Join leading universities such as:

• University of Alberta, Edmonton
• University of Toronto, Toronto 
• University of British Columbia, Vancouver 

France

At first glance, it’s easy to miss out on France as a dominant force in the global AI landscape, especially when there are big contenders, such as the technological ecosystems of Silicon Valley or rapid advancements in East Asia. 

In actuality, France is one of the most significant economic powers in the European Union and one of the region’s leading contributors to AI research. French President Emmanuel Macron is committed to investing approximately US$533 million in funding to create new AI “champions.”

Such is natural for a country home to innovative tech platforms such as open-source AI hosting platform Hugging Face, Mistral AI, the open-source Mistral 7B LLM creator, and AI cybersecurity provider Armis. 

You’ll find leading AI degrees at:

• Sorbonne Université, Paris
• Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette
• Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Grenoble

India 

The largest country in South Asia and the region’s most significant contributor to AI research. In 2023, India ranked fifth in the world for AI investment, clocking in US$3.24 billion and placing ahead of South Korea, Germany, Canada, and Australia, among others.

Puneet Chandok, the President of Microsoft India & South Asia, points to research that finds India has one of the highest AI adoption rates among knowledge workers. The robust population and workforce also make accessing wide data pools easy.

And in a country where people speak more than a dozen languages, “India’s diverse and multilingual environment makes it an ideal test bed for developing and refining global AI solutions,” says Chandok from Microsoft. 

With India poised to have the highest penetration rate of AI skills among all G20 and OECD countries, it’s safe to say that it’s one of the best countries to study AI, especially for those looking for an affordable study abroad option. 

Some university options include:

• Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala
• Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Tamil Nadu
• Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata, Kolkata

Japan 

Japan has a bold vision. Its future will be  “Society 5.0,” where physical space and cyberspace are increasingly interconnected. And for that, they’re investing big time into AI advancements and development.

In April 2024, the Japan Business Federation published a report that acknowledged AI as a driver of economic growth. It suggested that Japan become an AI and robotics superpower to overcome labour shortages. 

Technopedia reports that the country has also released plans to invest US$13 billion into the development of semiconductors and generative AI. As such, there is potential for the nation to become a more significant player in the market, making it one of the best countries to study AI.

Join Society 5.0 with a degree at one of these universities:

• University of Tokyo, Tokyo
• Kyoto University, Kyoto
• Osaka University, Suita