Abstract:Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently one of the most prominent fields in the technology industry, with China and the US being two global centers for AI research and development. However, the two countries differ in their development levels of the AI industry. In particular, the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022 has sparked extensive discussions regarding the capabilities and competitiveness of Chinese AI companies. This study analyzes over 120 000 AI invention patents approved in the past five years in both China and the US. Firstly, it constructs a multidimensional index based on AI patent features to identify the top 10 AI companies in both countries. Further, the analysis reveals significant differences in patent technology and research networks between these two groups. Chinese leading companies have notably fewer AI patents, less patent citation, and lower conversion rates. The patents of leading Chinese companies are mainly concentrated on application-level technologies such as image recognition and speech recognition, and have not yet formed distinctive AI technology clusters. In contrast, American leading companies have generated more influential AI patents, particularly forming multiple technology clusters in the foundational and core technology layers of the AI industry. In terms of academic research, Chinese leading companies primarily collaborate with domestic research institutions, while American leading companies demonstrate stronger collaboration with Chinese institutions, as well as among domestic companies. This comparative analysis reveals prominent differences in technological capabilities and collaboration strategies of leading AI companies in China and in the US, and provides managerial insights and three policy suggestions for better developing China’s AI industry.