Pockets of AI innovation are sprouting up and expanding all over the world, benefitting enormously from new avenues of research, funding and investment. Here are some of the most recent hotspots for the research and development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence.
Montreal, Canada
Montreal has fast become one of the world’s leading centres for AI research, and this newfound status is having a significant impact on the city’s entire startup community. Some observers now expect Montreal to become Canada’s very own, mini Silicon Valley.
Montreal raised more venture capital money than any other city in Canada last year – and while this may not be much compared to other AI hubs around the world, its growth is turning attention to the city and its potential.
Montreal has a reputation for AI research that has attracted the likes of Google (News - Alert), Facebook and Microsoft in recent years. The Canadian government has also pledged more than $200 million of funding to further boost it.
The city has everything it needs to establish itself as an AI hub: it has the thriving private, academic and public sectors behind it, each sharing the load and working together. It is also home to leading universities including McGill University and Université de Montréal, which both have huge numbers of students dedicated to studying AI.
Tech workers in Montreal are fiercely proud of their community and are determined to be a leading voice in the global conversation around AI.
London
Earlier this year, London was found to be the AI capital of Europe, home to double the number of AI companies than its closest rivals Paris and Berlin combined. In total, it has 758 AI companies, while around 645 of these companies have a headquarters in the city. And 80% of the top 50 AI companies across the UK are based in London.
The research, commissioned by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, found that London has a strong AI ecosystem that is of increasing importance to the capital’s economy. It also found that investment raised by London’s AI companies grew by more than 50% last year, reaching over £200m in total.
It was feared by some experts that the capital’s reputation as a tech hub would be threatened by Brexit, but the city has seen staunch support from AI and robotics investors like the entrepreneur Tej Kohli. Investments in the city’s AI companies are still a savvy business move according to Mr Kohli, who recently wrote in City AM that London continues to be the top destination for India’s tech elite in particular.
Singapore
In recent years, Singapore has attracting some of the world’s leading AI talent and investment due to its global status as a cosmopolitan, hard-working society with strong state backing for high-tech research.
For example, 10,000 in Singapore will be taught AI basics for free on the AI for Everyone scheme, launched by AI Singapore to boost to the local tech scene, while the National Research Foundation has invested S$150 million in a national programme aimed at boosting Singapore's AI capabilities over the next five years.
And the potential for growth is huge; one report by Frontier Economics said Singapore could double the size of its economy in just 13 years if it successfully adopts AI, which would otherwise take 22 years.
Whether it’s the government of Singapore throwing their weight behind AI education, or London’s tech scene benefitting from the backing of investors like Tej Kohli, AI hubs are continuing to spring up across the globe – making the prospect of widespread, commonplace AI a question of when, rather than if.
