<p>Over the past decade, there has been an exponential growth in artificial intelligence (AI) moving from a niche research area of computer science to an emerging tool across all major academic disciplines. However, with this rapid growth, it has become harder to understand the leading developments in AI research. This paper seeks to understand the evolution of AI research and understand the core components driving its growth. It also finds that the speed of evolution is increasing, and the ecosystem of AI research has become a conjoined amalgamation of technologies and applications built on long-standing path-dependent relationships. Furthermore, beyond its present application to AI, this paper provides a systematic framework applicable to understand how to categorize any complex evolving research agenda.</p>