Artificial intelligence: scope, players, markets and geography

Jean Paul Simon
2019 Digital Policy Regulation and Governance  
Purpose -This paper aims to clarify the notion of artificial intelligence (AI), reviewing the present scope of the phenomenon through its main applications. It aims at describing the various applications while assessing the markets, highlighting some of the leading industrial sectors in the field. Therefore, it identifies pioneering companies and the geographical distribution of AI companies. Design/methodology/approach -The paper builds upon an in-depth investigation of public initiatives
more » ... ing mostly on the EU. It is based on desk research, a comprehensive review of the main grey and scientific literature in this field. Findings -The paper notes that there is no real consensus on any definition for this umbrella term, that the definition does fluctuate over time but highlights some of the main changes and advances that took place over the past 60 years. It stresses that, in spite of the hype, on both the business and consumer sides, the demand appears uncertain. The scope of the announced disruptions is not easy to assess, technological innovation associated with AI may be modest or take some time to be fully deployed. However, some companies and regions are leading already in the field. Research limitations/implications -The paper, based on desk research, does not consider any expert opinions. Besides, the scientific literature on the phenomenon is still scarce (but not the technical one in the specific research sectors of AI). Most of the data come from consultancies or government publications which may introduce some bias, although the paper gathered various, often conflicting viewpoints. Originality/value -The paper gives a thorough review of the available literature (consultancies, governments) stressing the limitations of the available research on economic and social aspects. It aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the major trends in the field. It gives a global overview of companies and regions. Paper type Research paper O ver the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has come to the fore and is now expected to be one of the most pervasive disruptive technologies. However, there is no real consensus on the definition of AI, which has changed over time. This paper first clarifies the phenomenon and then gives an overview of its present scope. It looks at the various applications of AI and assesses the markets, highlighting some of the leading industrial sectors in the field, complemented by the geographical distribution of AI companies. Finally, some of the main issues and challenges for policymakers are addressed. Over the past sixty years, AI has had both ups, or AI summers, and downs, or "AI winters". Stone et al. (2016) [1] note that "the rate of progress in AI has been patchy and unpredictable", but add that there have been significant advances nevertheless. The recent development of AI techniques such as "deep learning" is frequently quoted to illustrate these advances. Two events highlight the powerful evolution of some of the technologies involved in AI. In 2013, the company DeepMind[2] developed deep learning software which, for the first time, surpassed human performance with Atari arcade games. The same UK AI start-up achieved global coverage in 2016, when its AI computer programme, AlphaGo Art, won a five-match series of the ancient Chinese board game "Go"[3] against the reigning world champion, the South Korean in Seoul[4]. Whatever the significance of these events, one should first clarify what "AI" refers to, its main definitions, and the scope of the technologies it encompasses. The first section of this article looks at definition and scope, giving an overview of the current main applications. Though consulting firms are expecting the market to grow, at the moment it seems rather small. We assess this market in the second section, based on the available research. Then we look at the main field of applications, some pioneering initiatives and the main players. We identify the leading industrial sectors among those that seem most involved already in AI. The third section deals with the geographical distribution of AI companies, and the role of the EU. We conclude by touching on societal and ethical issues and introduce some of the challenges that policymakers are likely to face if they decide to take one path or another. The article builds upon an in-depth investigation of public initiatives in Europe. It is based on desk research, including a comprehensive review of the main grey and scientific literature in this field.
doi:10.1108/dprg-08-2018-0039 fatcat:v2w2hslurbchbeh6he52en2dju