The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and the progression of our era have catalyzed its broad application within electric power systems, thereby elevating the level of intelligence in these systems. This paper delves into the global scholarly output concerning applications of artificial intelligence in electric power systems, leveraging the SCI-indexed literature from the Web of Science core database. The analysis spans several dimensions: the volume of publications, the leading countries in research contributions, the foremost global research institutions, pivotal themes, and sustainable development goals. The paper focuses on summarizing the latest advancements and applications of AI in electric power systems, encompassing areas such as power system dispatch, fault detection and diagnosis, load forecasting, equipment condition assessment, system stability evaluation, renewable energy forecasting, and power market analysis. Additionally, the paper explores the challenges faced and the strategies employed in AI applications within electric power systems, along with a forward-looking perspective on future applications.