Technology
The Pros and Cons of Self-Driving Cars
The Pros and Cons of Self-Driving Cars
The next time you honk at another car on the freeway, there is a small chance that it is actually a self-driving robot.
Coupled with the emergence of the electric vehicle, self-driving cars are one of the hottest topics in the automotive industry. Just as any other time where there is the potential to disrupt the current marketplace, there are investment consequences worth noting.
Even a small market penetration of self-driving cars will have big implications on traditional industries. Insurance rates, the transport industry, apps such as Uber or Lyft, and of course, the traditional auto marketplace will be affected. Automotive giants that are not able to keep up may have trouble keeping revenues in line with competitors. At the same time, it may be a boon for the companies that are inventing and proliferating the new technologies to make this future possible.
On the automotive side, Fool.com cites Google, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi as leaders in the field of developing self-driving vehicles. On the tech side, Delphi Automotive (NYSE: DLPH), Autoliv (NYSE: ALV), and American Tower (NYSE: AMT) as companies that are making big advances in cameras, sensors, and other parts necessary to implement the technology.
Original graphic from: CJ Pony Parts
Digital Transformation
Mapped: The Number of AI Startups By Country
Over the past decade, thousands of AI startups have been funded worldwide. See which countries are leading the charge in this map graphic.
Mapped: The Number of AI Startups By Country
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Amidst the recent expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), we’ve visualized data from Quid (accessed via Stanford’s 2024 AI Index Report) to highlight the top 15 countries which have seen the most AI startup activity over the past decade.
The figures in this graphic represent the number of newly funded AI startups within that country, in the time period of 2013 to 2023. Only companies that received over $1.5 million in private investment were considered.
Data and Highlights
The following table lists all of the numbers featured in the above graphic.
| Rank | Geographic area | Number of newly funded AI startups (2013-2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 United States | 5,509 |
| 2 | 🇨🇳 China | 1,446 |
| 3 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 727 |
| 4 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 442 |
| 5 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 397 |
| 6 | 🇫🇷 France | 391 |
| 7 | 🇮🇳 India | 338 |
| 8 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 333 |
| 9 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 319 |
| 10 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 193 |
| 11 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 189 |
| 12 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 147 |
| 13 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 123 |
| 14 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 94 |
| 15 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 94 |
From this data, we can see that the U.S., China, and UK have established themselves as major hotbeds for AI innovation.
In terms of funding, the U.S. is massively ahead, with private AI investment totaling $335 billion between 2013 to 2023. AI startups in China raised $104 billion over the same timeframe, while those in the UK raised $22 billion.
Further analysis reveals that the U.S. is widening this gap even more. In 2023, for example, private investment in the U.S. grew by 22% from 2022 levels. Meanwhile, investment fell in China (-44%) and the UK (-14.1%) over the same time span.
Where is All This Money Flowing To?
Quid also breaks down total private AI investment by focus area, providing insight into which sectors are receiving the most funding.
| Focus Area | Global Investment in 2023 (USD billions) |
|---|---|
| 🤖 AI infrastructure, research, and governance | $18.3 |
| 🗣️ Natural language processing | $8.1 |
| 📊 Data management | $5.5 |
| ⚕️ Healthcare | $4.2 |
| 🚗 Autonomous vehicles | $2.7 |
| 💰 Fintech | $2.1 |
| ⚛️ Quantum computing | $2.0 |
| 🔌 Semiconductor | $1.7 |
| ⚡ Energy, oil, and gas | $1.5 |
| 🎨 Creative content | $1.3 |
| 📚 Education | $1.2 |
| 📈 Marketing | $1.1 |
| 🛸 Drones | $1.0 |
| 🔒 Cybersecurity | $0.9 |
| 🏭 Manufacturing | $0.9 |
| 🛒 Retail | $0.7 |
| 🕶️ AR/VR | $0.7 |
| 🛡️ Insurtech | $0.6 |
| 🎬 Entertainment | $0.5 |
| 💼 VC | $0.5 |
| 🌾 Agritech | $0.5 |
| ⚖️ Legal tech | $0.4 |
| 👤 Facial recognition | $0.3 |
| 🌐 Geospatial | $0.2 |
| 💪 Fitness and wellness | $0.2 |
Attracting the most money is AI infrastructure, research, and governance, which refers to startups that are building AI applications (like OpenAI’s ChatGPT).
The second biggest focus area is natural language processing (NLP), which is a type of AI that enables computers to understand and interpret human language. This technology has numerous use cases for businesses, particularly in financial services, where NLP can power customer support chatbots and automated wealth advisors.
With $8 billion invested into NLP-focused startups during 2023, investors appear keenly aware of this technology’s transformative potential.
Learn More About AI From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this graphic, be sure to check out Visualizing AI Patents by Country.
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