US and China lead investments in artificial intelligence start-ups

Total estimated investments in AI start-ups ($ billion), 2011-2017

Private investment in artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups is growing, mainly in the US and China, according to an OECD analysis of Crunchbase data.

Start-ups operating in the US account for the majority of AI start-up equity investments worldwide, while China has quickly become the second player globally in terms of AI equity investments in start-ups. In 2017, Chinese start-ups attracted 36 per cent of global AI investment in 2017, a significant jump from just 3 per cent in 2015.

The EU accounts for only 8 per cent of global AI equity investment.

Source: OECD estimates based on Crunchbase (April 2018), www.crunchbase.com