Standard Essential Patents (SEP) encompass a wealth of patent and technical information and have significant intelligence value. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the significant frontier fields of technology. Analyzing the international distribution characteristics of SEP in the field of AI can assist in understanding the development status of AI, help identify the development shortcomings of one’s own country, and establish more targeted competitive strategies. This article is based on SEP from the PatSnap database and analyzes the distribution characteristics of standard essential patents in the field of artificial intelligence from three aspects: country, enterprise and technology. The results show that China has become an important innovation centre and technology market in the field of artificial intelligence, and some technical fields have reached the world’s leading level. However, there is still a big gap between the United States. At present, standardization work in the field of artificial intelligence is in the early stages of development, and the relevant standard essential patents are mainly concentrated in the basic layer field related to mobile communication technology. Large multinational communication companies mainly hold standard essential patents in the field of artificial intelligence, and related Internet companies and emerging technology companies have fewer standard essential patents. The paper further puts forward some suggestions: pay close attention to the progress of international standardization work, actively promote the standardization process of artificial intelligence in China; encourage Internet enterprises and emerging technology enterprises to participate in the standardization development; and pay attention to the research and development of the base layer and technology layer.