Korean Media: Chinese Universities Rank First in Artificial Intelligence Field, Even Taking the Top Ten!
On February 8, the South Korean media "Choice Economy" published an article stating that in the recently released 2026 Computer Science Ranking (CSRankings), the Artificial Intelligence (AI) program at Nanjing University ranked first globally with 23.7 points. This is the highest score achieved by a Chinese university in this ranking, symbolizing the achievement of China's AI research capabilities reaching world-class levels.
Secondly, Zhejiang University ranked second with 20.7 points, and Harbin Institute of Technology ranked third with 18.5 points.
According to the ranking, the top 10 universities globally are all Chinese universities, indicating that Chinese universities are forming a significant "cluster effect" in the AI field, defeating traditional strong schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University in the United States.
The advantage of Nanjing University's AI program lies not in short-term applied results but in its emphasis on fundamental AI research, including machine learning, reasoning, and theory. The representative figure of Nanjing University's AI program is Zhou Zhihua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Nanjing University. Zhou Zhihua's research team has long been committed to fundamental theories and application research in machine learning and AI.
In the fields of automated machine learning and meta-learning, China has pioneered the concept of "designing AI with AI."
Another feature of Nanjing University's AI laboratory is the lack of "competition between laboratories." The research directions of each laboratory are relatively distinct, minimizing internal conflicts around similar topics. In addition, teachers, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers collaborate on projects, continuously publishing papers in international top-tier journals.
Other renowned Chinese universities have shown strengths in building large-scale research laboratories, expanding industry connections and applications, and rapidly cultivating talents. However, Nanjing University focuses on smaller, elite Ph.D. training programs, strictly controls graduation requirements, and prioritizes theoretical contributions in teacher appointments and promotions. Therefore, despite its small size, Nanjing University continues to cultivate many outstanding talents who have made remarkable contributions in the core theory areas of AI.
CSRankings calculates rankings based on the number of papers published by researchers and educators from universities worldwide at top international computer science conferences.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856543247591427/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.