Introduction

Artificial intelligence has become a strategic priority for the United States due to its potential to enhance productivity across several areas, including research and development, manufacturing, communications, health care, and transportation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has characterized AI as one of the “Industries of the Future”¹ and encouraged the development of the field to expand research and commercial applications. As investment in AI grows,² companies and governments increasingly seek recommendations for bolstering their economic and national security.

In order to understand the commercial AI landscape, this brief identifies “AI companies” and classifies them into sectors to provide a picture of where such companies are clustering, their regional impact on the creation of businesses and jobs, how to optimize local educational pipelines, and which international AI hubs could be partnered with to boost the U.S. economic potential. It uses sectoral analysis to link companies to aggregate economic indicators, identify geographic distribution patterns, and generate comparative recommendations at a local and national level.

1. Dr. Walter Copan, “Industries of the Future,” Testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, 116^th Congress, First Session, January 15, 2020,  https://www.nist.gov/speech-testimony/industries-future.
2. Zachary Arnold, Ilya Rahkovsky, Tina Huang, “Tracking AI Investment: Initial Findings from the Private Markets” (Center for Security and Emerging Technology, September 2020).