The AI Arms Race: 5 Industries Investing Big

Artificial intelligence has rapidly changed the business world since ChatGPT’s release in 2022, and it’s only in its infancy. AI is continuing to evolve and advance at a fast pace. The businesses that will keep up are the ones investing in it now. Here are the industries with some of the biggest investors. 

Industries Leading in AI Adoption 

The industries most quickly adopting artificial intelligence are those with money and where there is identifiable potential. Some of these include the following: 

• Entertainment: The entertainment industry was one of the first and most public industries to address AI issues, specifically the capabilities of generative AI. Hollywood actors and writers went on strike less than a year after ChatGPT debuted, and video game actors went on strike earlier this year. These strikes were in direct response to media companies quickly integrating AI into their productions.
• Finance: Any edge in the financial world can result in a significant fiscal impact, and AI holds more promise than almost anything else that the financial sector has seen recently. Analyzing vast amounts of data is essential when trading equities, watching for fraud, or purchasing real estate.
• Healthcare: News stories have shared how AI is already improving diagnoses, but direct patient care isn’t the only area where it’s being implemented. Healthcare administrators are also developing AI to assist with behind-the-scenes administrative work, like scheduling and performance evaluation.
• Retail: Retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar, are using AI to boost sales and improve the customer experience. Personalized product recommendations and dynamic pricing models are a couple of ways in which AI is changing how people shop.
• Education: Adaptive learning platforms tailor content to each student, while AI-assisted grading and lesson planning free teachers so they can spend more time working directly with students. These innovations are being used everywhere from kindergarten to grad school. 

AI Technologies Getting Funded 

While there’s funding for virtually all iterations of artificial intelligence, a few kinds of AI are drawing huge investments. 

Generative AI creates media, including text, images, audio, and full-on, detailed videos. This is the type that’s of most interest to Hollywood, but it has implications for retail, marketing, education, and plenty of other industries. 

Natural language processing (NLP) includes programs like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, both of which now have generative AI components. NLP focuses on understanding, interpreting, and creating human language. Think virtual assistants and customer chatbots for now, although there’ll be more implementations in the future. 

Machine learning (ML) develops AI that teaches itself. Software engineers don’t have to program for every potentiality, because ML systems digest data themselves and continually make incremental improvements. Fraud detection and predictive analytics rely heavily on this. 

“Computer vision” is the technical term for something that’s much more familiar — self-driving vehicles and devices. AI “sees” things large and small, which is helpful for vehicles, facial recognition, and assembly line quality control. 

Implementing AI in Your Industry 

No matter what industry you’re in, artificial intelligence is probably going to change how things are done. It’ll change how people work, how businesses operate, and ultimately who succeeds. Those who learn AI today are the ones best positioned for success in the future. Know what type of AI is most used in your industry, and how things will likely change. 

Anne Fernandez is the Digital Marketing Manager at Ascendient Learning, which provides training courses and certification programs that upskill and reskill individuals, teams, organizations, and governments to be ready for what’s next. Fernandez has more than a decade of experience in content strategy, digital advertising, and SEO. She holds certifications in Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Digital Media and Marketing. Fernandez earned her OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional) credential through Duke University in 2021 and continues to lead innovative marketing projects that grow visibility and engagement for Ascendient Learning.