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AI United States

Majority of Promising AI Startups Are Still Based in the US (bloomberg.com) 31

The most promising startups using artificial intelligence are U.S.-based companies working in the fields of health care, retail and transportation, according to a study that looked at budding AI companies around the world. From a report: Of the top 100 startups in AI, 65% were based in the U.S., though some of those had dual headquarters in China or elsewhere, according to the analysis by CB Insights, a tech research group that analyzed data on close to 5,000 startups around the world. "These would be companies to watch that are doing really interesting research in AI," said Deepashri Varadharajan, the lead analyst on the report. "Some of them might get acquired. Some might have successful product launches." The research group considered venture capital investment, patent activity and market potential to develop its list of the companies most likely to succeed. The high percentage of U.S.-based companies reflect the country's historical dominance in AI research, Varadharajan said.
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Majority of Promising AI Startups Are Still Based in the US

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  • nduh (Score:5, Insightful)

    by batukhan ( 4849151 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2020 @10:22AM (#59796132)
    Maybe it's because in USA you can get millions seed funding for a clever idea or a few Silicon Valley connections. Elsewhere they expect you to have a proven business that shows returns
    • Elsewhere they expect you to have a proven business that shows returns

      That would be a mistake. The idea of a startup as a research enterprise whose end goal is to be sold to a larger company (or even just generate IP that is sold) is not a bad one. Big companies have the infrastructure to make finished products and retail to consumers but they struggle to innovate without e.g. getting bogged down in complacency and internal politics, so outsourcing early R&D makes some sense.

    • Re:nduh (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2020 @12:09PM (#59796466)

      Elsewhere they expect you to have a proven business that shows returns

      ... and that is why they fail.

      A successful VC invests in unproven businesses. That is the whole point of venture capital. If VCs wait for a business to prove itself, the opportunity will evaporate, and most of the equity will remain in the hands of those who took the risks.

      The failure of non-Americans to invest early means that American companies get early funding to grow quickly and dominate one field after another.

      Of the world's 20 biggest tech companies, only one, SAP, is European, and SAP was founded 48 years ago.

    • by ljw1004 ( 764174 )

      California
      Person: "I have an idea for how we could, like, take taxis but online"
      Everyone: "Awesome dude!"

      England
      Person: "I have an idea for how we could take taxis but online"
      Everyone: "That's an 'interesting' idea" [which in England everyone understands as a coded way of saying that your idea is stupid and you should feel ashamed for having suggested it]

      I noticed the same English response everywhere. It was part of the culture. There was an episode of East Enders (popular TV soap opera) where a 15 year old

  • Are they looking at this from the perspective of finding companies, entities that are actually attempting to make progress, or showing progress, or just from the perspective of creating the largest hole for investors to dump money into?
    • Re:Promising? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Wednesday March 04, 2020 @10:30AM (#59796164) Homepage Journal

      I have a feeling that they simply can't evaluate companies who don't operate in English accurately. These are analysts, they likely have no clue what AI is or what is promising or not. I bet it's a keyword search and they just didn't put in any Chinese or Hindi ones.

    • U.S. dominates in that last category. But that's why we dominate in so many other areas. Technology is created here because here is where you can make the most money by accepting more risk. Basic capitalism in action.

    • Promising, as in making promises, probably.
  • Majority of Promising AI Startups Are Still Based in the US, despite best efforts of politicians to crush the enconomy by squealing to voters how evil businessmen are.

    • Majority of Promising AI Startups Are Still Based in the US, despite best efforts of politicians to crush the enconomy by squealing to voters how evil businessmen are.

      The most pro-business party controls the presidency, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and most of the state legislatures.

      Yesterday was Super Tuesday. The most anti-business politician in America just got his butt kicked by the voters of the slightly-less pro-business party.

      America is not anti-business. Not the politicians. Not the voters.

  • The word promising is doing a lot of lifting here. Who gets to decide what is promising and what is not. In this case it is venture capitalists an industry that is large and well developed in the US. Yet we are constantly reminded that many startup fail and many just tick along. Explosive success is rare and those destined to succeed will probably be a success anyway.

  • the status quo. Just because many in the US are promising, does not mean the US will "win" the race to AI. Complacency is not a good thing folks. There are plenty of smart people around the world.
  • There is no such thing as AI yet.
    Everyone who promises you "AI" is one thing, and one thing only: A fraudster.

    Not that I don't get it... If there are morons, stupid enough, to bay hundrets of millions for it, and you generally got no conscience, or hate those morons enough, or just want to watch the world burn, why *wouldn't* you do it?

    It's still a con.

    • by DavenH ( 1065780 )
      First point - no true scotsman. Second point - clearly wrong. Third, fourth, just more nonsense.
      Exaggerated claims and zero evidence or supporting argument. To be a contrarian you actually need to justify your positions, else you're just an edgy attention whore.
      • Nah, bro. When go to the store or you are looking for a girlfriend ...

        No justification required for your pick.

        Existence has no justification, and life doesn't require them either.

        Also, btw, logic can't tell you if something has value, let alone it's own value.
    • by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      Not the AI definition fights again. Enough already. It won't get anywhere.

  • Traveling Salesman best suits AI nature with algorithmic solutions to analog real world transportation problem sets that exceed human comprehension.

  • In Germany they call it KI in France they call it IA, ....

  • We have a spy culture where people's privacy has been eliminated. No one is jumping over themselves to make AI help people.
  • Is that there likely are many extremely well funded (by governments, regimes, autocracies, militaries, etc.) advanced development teams working on whatever AI is or is purported to be, all for ends that may not be all puppies and roses. But I'm just paranoid...

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