The U.S. and China are ahead of the global competition to dominate artificial intelligence (AI), the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the report, U.S.-based IBM and Microsoft have the largest number of patents related to artificial intelligence - 8,920 and 5,930, respectively, Reuters reported.

While there are 17 of the 20 leading academic institutions in China involved in the patenting of artificial intelligence, Reuters added.

“The U.S. and China obviously have stolen a lead. They’re out in front in this area, in terms of numbers of applications, and in scientific publications,” WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry told a news conference.