The emergence of Artificial Intelligence in European regions: the role of a local ICT base

Jing Xiao and Ron Boschma ()

No 2117, Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) from Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate how a regional knowledge base in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) influences the emergence of AI technologies in European regions. Replying on patent data and studying the knowledge production of AI technologies in 233 European regions in the period of 1994 to 2017, our study reveals three results. First, ICTs are a major knowledge source of AI technologies and their importance has been increasing over time. Second, a regional knowledge base in ICTs is highly relevant for regions to engage in AI inventing. Third, the effects of regional knowledge base of ICTs are stronger for regions that recently caught up in AI inventing. Our findings suggest that ICTs play a critically enabling role for regions to diversify into AI technologies, especially in catching-up regions.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); regional diversification; Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs); technological relatedness; General Purpose Technologies (GPTs); Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O31 O33 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-05, Revised 2021-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-big, nep-geo, nep-ict, nep-pay and nep-tid
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Journal Article: The emergence of artificial intelligence in European regions: the role of a local ICT base (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:egu:wpaper:2117

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