Artificial intelligence in social science: A study based on bibliometrics analysis

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gradually changing the planet. Data digitisation, computing infrastructure and machine learning are helping AI tools to spread across all sectors of society. This article presents the results of a bibliometric analysis of AI-related publications in the social sciences over the last ten years (2013-2022). Most of the historical publications are taken into consideration with the aim of identifying research relevance and trends in this field. The results indicate that more than 19,408 articles have been published, 85% from 2008 to 2022, showing that research in this field is increasing significantly year on year. Clear domains or disciplines of research related to AI within the social sciences can be grouped into sub-areas such as law and legal reasoning, education, economics, and ethics. The United States is the country that publishes the most (20%), followed by China (13%). The influence of AI on society is inevitable and the advances can generate great opportunities for innovation and new jobs, but in the medium term it is necessary to adequately face this transition, setting regulations and reviewing the challenges of ethics and responsibility.