AI is increasingly becoming a topic of high relevance across countries and sectors. In the case of AI, startups and research initiatives are the engine that drives the technological development of regions. Actually, most regions in the world have realized this fact and are putting in motion some action plans with the aim of being the leader of the AI market worldwide.

At the moment, Europe is behind the US and China in seizing the opportunities of artificial intelligence and automation. Investments in automation technologies and AI are growing rapidly, dominated by digital companies such as Amazon, Baidu, Tencent and Google. As of today, most countries are including AI in their strategic actions. In terms of investments, external AI investment in Europe totalled around $3 to $4 billion in 2016, compared with $8 to $12 billion in Asia and $15 to $23 billion in North America – according to a global McKinsey market study.