to Crunchbase data, 40 acquisitions of AI and machine learning companies have
been completed so far this year, compared to a total of 56 completed in all of
2016.
28
The 2017 AI acquirers' list contains some very well-capitalized buyers.
That includes Apple, which picked up Lattice Data, a company that applies an
AI-enabled inference engine to take unstructured, "dark" data and turn it into
structured (and more usable) information. Apple purchased the analysis platform
for structured data for a reported $200 million. The tech giant also snapped up
RealFace, a facial recognition technology startup. Cisco made the list too, paying
$125 million for MindMeld, a conversational AI startup. Airbnb also showed an
interest in AI with its purchase of Trooly, a developer of background-checking
technology.
Ecosystem
The AI industry can be segmented into three core technologies: (i) machine/
deep learning, (ii) computer vision/ image recognition, and (iii) natural language
processing (NLP). These technologies are the foundation to a variety of
applications – such as autonomous vehicles, smart robotics, drones, virtual
agents – which are position to disrupt all industry verticals (healthcare, retail,
energy, agriculture and finance).
The chart (Figure 19) provides a high-level picture of the AI landscape and
the sectors within that broad category. The listed companies either build the
technology, utilize it as the core offering or a specific function in their products.
• Machine/Deep Learning:
Machine learning is the technology of computer
algorithms that learn from examples and experience (i.e., large data sets)
rather than relying on hard-coded and predefined rules. Deep learning is a
sub-set of machine learning that focuses on deeply layered neural networks,
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Page, Holden. "AI Startups Take The Money And Run As Big Tech Comes Acquiring." Crunchbase News, 9
Aug. 2017,
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Taiwan Economic Forum
Volume 15, Number 4
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