Atlas report
Who works on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), and where
Since 2024, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) drew 11 617 newcomers against 3 249 in the previous window, a ratio of 3.6 where the average subject sits at 1.7.
The short answer
20 544 indexed researchers with a known country work on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI); the subject takes 1.5% of all subject assignments in the index.
Since 2024, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) drew 11 617 newcomers against 3 249 in the previous window, a ratio of 3.6 where the average subject sits at 1.7.
Among doctoral starts, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) takes 2.6 times the share it took over the previous three years, +28 225 people.
What stands out
In 2025, the last full year, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) gained 1.5 times as many new researchers as in an average year of the three before; the world figure is 0.8.
Relative to its size, Germany leans hardest on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI): 2.2% of its subject assignments, 1.5 times the world share.
By country
The United States and China hold 52% of the people working on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), less than the 53% the same two countries hold across all subjects.
Country reports: United States, China, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Italy, France, South Korea.
| Country | Researchers | Share of the subject | Share of the country's researchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 6 012 | 29% | 2.0% |
| China | 4 714 | 23% | 1.1% |
| Germany | 1 346 | 6.6% | 2.2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 098 | 5.3% | 2.1% |
| Canada | 603 | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| India | 499 | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Italy | 419 | 2.0% | 1.7% |
| France | 418 | 2.0% | 1.2% |
| Hong Kong | 407 | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| South Korea | 402 | 2.0% | 1.0% |
| Australia | 355 | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Netherlands | 317 | 1.5% | 2.2% |
Newcomers by year
458 researchers on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) declare a doctorate in progress on their ORCID record, started and without an end date yet.
| First publication | New on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) | Share of the world's newcomers |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 595 | 3.1% |
| 2020 | 721 | 3.5% |
| 2021 | 866 | 3.5% |
| 2022 | 1 180 | 3.5% |
| 2023 | 1 203 | 4.0% |
| 2024 | 1 262 | 4.3% |
| 2025 | 1 804 | 7.1% |
Compared with subjects of the same size
Set against Human Pose and Action Recognition and Advanced Graph Neural Networks, two subjects of similar headcount, the difference is the pace of entry. Reports: Advanced Graph Neural Networks.
| Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) | Human Pose and Action Recognition | Advanced Graph Neural Networks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Researchers | 20 544 | 19 117 | 22 933 |
| Largest country | United States | China | China |
| Newcomers, recent against previous window | 3.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 |
Method
Subjects follow the OpenAlex taxonomy, on the profiles that carry one; a person can carry several, so shares are shares of subject assignments. A country is where the institution sits. Newcomers are dated by first publication, and a doctorate in progress is a junior profile with a first publication and no dated defence. The index is built from arXiv, OpenAlex, ORCID and DBLP and grows every night. See the atlas, how to find and hire AI researchers and how long an AI doctorate takes.
Common questions
- How many researchers work on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)?
- 20 544 researchers in the Founding Hires index carry Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a subject, across the largest countries, as of October 2026. Worldwide the subject holds 1.5% of all subject assignments.
- Which countries lead on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)?
- United States (6 012), China (4 714), Germany (1 346).
- Is Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) growing?
- Yes, faster than the world. Since 2024, 11 617 people in Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) published for the first time, against 3 249 over the three years before, a ratio of 3.6 where the world sits at 1.7.
- How many doctorates on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) are in progress?
- 458 researchers on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) declare a doctorate in progress on their ORCID record, started and without an end date yet.
The names behind the numbers
Every count on this page is a list in the index.
Search it by subject and country to find who leads the work today, and set an alert on the ones about to come free, for $179 a month or 149 € in the euro area. Or hand the search over and pay only when someone joins.