Research Progress and Frontier Exploration of Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing in the Last Five Years: Based on Bibliometrics

Based on a bibliometric approach, this study explores the research progress and cutting-edge trends of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the global manufacturing sector. By analyzing 960 relevant literatures published between 2020 and 2024 in the Web of Science core database, this paper reveals the hotspots, research frontiers, and key areas of application of AI technology in manufacturing. With the help of Citespace and Vosviewer software, this paper demonstrates the overall research dynamics in the field in terms of the dimensions of author collaboration network, country collaboration network and keyword highlighting. The results show that the application of AI technology in smart manufacturing, information physical systems (CPS) and supply chain management has become the focus of research in recent years, and there are significant differences in the level of research collaboration and technological development in this field among different countries. This paper further points out the shortcomings in current research and proposes possible future research directions, with a view to providing theoretical support and reference for academia and industry in AI-driven digital transformation of manufacturing.