Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software Development Companies Trends 2019

Every Artificial Intelligence (AI) development company in the world is now entering a variety of industries and causing disruptive changes in them. The fact that machines could learn and emulate human cognitive processes, thus improving performance

and adding to the service quality, seemed highly attractive to all kinds of entrepreneurs. Such promise of AI contributed to a boom of AI software development companies, the introduction of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), and further intense work in the area.

So, what was new in the field in 2019? And what should we expect in 2020? How to use AI to your business advantage and where you can hire AI developers who may bring your AI projects to life? Read on to find all the details about the modern (and future) AI software development market.

Top Global AI Development Services Trends in 2019

This year was fruitful for AI development services in all aspects. The world saw the introduction of highly promising ML techniques allowing computers to improve their functionality in a self-paced manner.

ML has gained popularity in the spheres where the accuracy of analytics, risk mitigation, and systematic performance improvements are appreciated.

Another AI novelty of 2019 is the cutting-edge face recognition technology. It found an application as the iPhone X digital password and was used by Facebook to allow you to tag friends on photos without lengthy search of their profiles in the list.

AI computer chips entered the global market in 2019, as well. They are designed in such a way that complements the conventional CPUs (not supporting AI to date), thus upgrading your computer to an entirely new level of functionality. The technology was quickly picked by Intel, Qualcomm, ARM, AMD, and other software manufacturers who now integrate AI chips directly in the new CPUs they produce.

Predictions for 2020

So, what do the AI trends we have been observing throughout 2019 suggest for the coming year?

Overall, experts suggest that the same patterns will continue and advance the industry, with AI boosting the development of cloud computing and machine learning. Innovations are expected as well, including the introduction of AI-as-a-service, its use in the development of 5G data networks, and further refining of the autonomous driving technology.

AI tools also have enormous potential for the area of personalized and predictive medicine due to its sophisticated analytical tools. Other spheres of potential AI use include the development of advanced computer vision (i.e., object detection and analysis by machines) and extended reality (XR) applications now actively explored for the sake of delivering genuinely immersive virtual experiences to users.

Trending AI Development Technologies and Companies

AI is booming now, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that numerous programming languages have been adapted to fit the AI development peculiarities.

To date, the most commonly used AI programming languages are C, C++, Java, Python, and Script. Some market leaders have also applied C# and ORM for these purposes. The top list of technologies (together with companies exploring them) in 2019 is as follows:

• LiDAR technology of AEye. The AI development company specializes in AI-enriched computer vision software and hardware production to enable autonomous vehicle driving.
• AICoRE, iRSP, and Futurable by AIBrain. These technologies are directed at robotics and mobile technology advancement with AI. The AIBrain’s specialty is the equipment of AI models with human-like problem-solving and learning skills.
• Amazon’s Echo and AWS. The global giant Amazon has embraced the potential of AI long ago, at the onset of this technology’s development. Thus, it’s now delivering the AI services to consumers’ homes (e.g., Alexa) and promotes a variety of AWS services focusing on text and image recognition services.
• CARA of Casetext. The CARA AI model for legal data search has carved its own niche in the contemporary market by enabling smarter, quicker, and more efficient legal documentation analysis.
• HARI platform by CloudMinds. An acronym for Human Augmented Robotics Intelligence, the HARI platform claims to provide a comprehensive cloud intelligence system enhancing the operation of human-controlled robot systems.

Artificial Intelligence Application in Different Industries

In the modern digital era, one can hardly name a domain of human activity in which AI application wouldn’t be promising.

Today’s AI uses range from human-computer mediation (e.g., the Google email response prompter, Alexa, and a variety of voicemail transcription tools) to the refinement of existing technology (e.g., computer vision, big data analytics, self-driving vehicles, etc.).

While computers have already been in use for almost all activities that people chose to automate, today, with AI technology, these computers can work better and deliver much broader functionality. In 2019, the most popular AI development applications involved:

1. Reinforcement learning
2. Quantum computing
3. AI convergence with IoT and blockchain
4. Neural networks
5. Deep learning
6. Privacy enhancement.

Besides the self-obvious IT niche, speaking in more industry-specific terms, you may find a variety of beneficial Ai applications in the following areas:

Business Management

• Sales and inventory forecasting
• Customer service automation with online response tools and chatbots
• Customer behavior and preference analysis for better customization and demand forecasting
• Smart email categorization, management, and marketing
• AI customer assistance

Transportation

• Sensor-based autonomous driving
• AI-enhanced human-vehicle interaction
• Enhanced vehicle safety and user comfort
• Text and speech recognition for real-time service and responses
• Automatic collision detection and brake systems

Marketing & Sales Management

• Advanced customer segmentation and targeting algorithms
• Real-time customization of content based on customer-specific patterns
• Sales improvements based on forecasting and demand prediction
• Sensitive real-time price adjustments
• Smart image and text recognition and processing
• Customer sentiment analysis and prediction

Content Creation

• AI-powered content creation and improvement tools
• Automated proofreading and topic generation
• Smart content adjustment for the target audience

How AI Integration Can Benefit Your Business

Though AI seems to be a highly technical term, in fact, it is easily adaptable by all kinds of business. The benefits you may reap from AI integration include:

• A vast automation potential allowing to save time and money
• Analysis of vast data amounts
• Greater efficiency and productivity as compared to humans (ability to work 24/7)
• Business forecasting potential (smart analysis of customer preferences, predictions)
• Error reduction
• Improved customer experience

Cost of AI Development

How much does AI developer make? How much will an AI project cost your company?

These are the critical questions both programmers considering a career in AI and companies planning AI investments are considering. Here is a rough breakdown of prices relevant for the end of 2019:

• The average AI project in the USA costs a company a bit more than $104,000 (according to Glassdoor stats) or around $98,000 (as per Indeed.com).
• An average MVP in the AI sector is priced from $35,000 to $100,000 depending on the project’s criteria. (https://azati.ai/how-much-does-it-cost-to-utilize-machine-learning-artificial-intelligence/)
• AI developers’ salary in advanced countries is $100,000-$150,000 on average(https://www.datamation.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-salaries.html)
• The global average hourly rate of an AI developer ranges from $250 to $850 depending on the country, the expertise, and the tech stack.

These figures are broad, with 200-500% fluctuations depending on the state in which you’re looking for an AI specialist.

Experts with a solid AI background in the USA and some Western European countries will charge the highest, while AI specialists with no less experience may cost several times less in major outsourcing regions such as Asia and Eastern Europe.

Shortage of AI Developers in the USA and Europe

AI is a complex industry that requires the mastery of engineering, software development, and mathematical skills. Too few people can combine the skillset needed for effective AI development; but the industry possesses a vast economic potential, with the registered CAGR of 56.8% in 2016-2025 and the expected revenue growth of $36.8 billion by 2025 . That’s why AI developers are in great demand and that’s why the global AI industry severely lacks sufficient talent.

AI News report also showed that while 93% of U.S. and UK firms consider AI development as their priority, more than half of the companies in these states recognize the absence of the proper skillset and expertise among their employees to date .

These statistics mean that while Western countries are committed to AI development, they lack specialists who would spearhead the process and help the industry advance.

Here are some more figure suggesting the scale of AI talent shortage:

• Israel currently has 15,000 unfilled AI positions in the tech sector because of the lack of talent and the unfair competition with Ai giants like Amazon, Nvidia, and Intel.
• In the UK, the demand for AI specialists increased by 485% from 2014 to 2017, with 2.3 jobs currently available for every AI expert in the country.
• The EU countries now have 82,000 job openings for the AI experts in all industries.

Where to Hire AI Developers and AI Development Teams?

Given the shortage of AI talent in most developed countries, how to find AI developers?

Where can you hire an AI development company which will complete your project?

If you want to hire AI developers in-house, the best strategy for companies is to recruit the best talent from LinkedIn. Other traditional recruitment channels include skimming through the resume databases at Glassdoor, Indeed.com, or employment platforms more prevalent in your location.

Another fruitful strategy may be to look for experts in AI at the leading international AI conferences attracting talented AI developers from all corners of the world as speakers and attendees.

If you’re on a hunt for an AI expert, here’s the list of top AI events to attend in 2019-2020:

1. NeurIPS: Neural Information processing Systems (NIPS) (Vancouver, December 10-12)
2. Applied Machine Learning Days (Lausanne, Switzerland, January 25-29)
3. Impact: AI 2020 (San Francisco, February 4-5)
4. AI & Big Data Expo (London, March 17-18)
5. World Summit AI Americas (Montreal, March 25-26)
6. Think 2020 (San Francisco, May 4-7)
7. Rise of AI (Berlin, May 13-14)
8. CogX (London, June 8-10)
9. CVPR: IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (Seattle, June 16-18)
10. Artificial Intelligence Conference (London, September 3-4)
11. AI for Good Summit (Seattle, November 12-13)

How Many AI Developers Are There?

The job market for AI developers is very fertile today, with all sorts of AI specialists in great demand. But where is the highest concentration of AI pros? Which countries offer the most attractive talent pools in terms of AI? The statistics are vague and varied, but here are some key highlights:

The 2019 report of Tencent revealed that currently, there are 200,000-300,000 AI researchers and practitioners across the globe, with over 100,000 working exclusively in academic establishments (while the current pace of the market’s development requires millions of specialists).

The stats of the Global AI Talent Report 2019 are unpromising – the total number of qualified AI experts has reached only 22,400 by the end of 2018, and the number of self-reported AI specialists was a bit more than 36,500 persons. Given the dramatic rise of AI technology’s popularity and active development in this area, the industry is experiencing a huge skill gap. Especially visible this gap is in the advanced economies, e.g., the USA and Western Europe. While 46% of known AI experts work for the US-based employers, less than a quarter of all AI experts with a Ph.D. degree work in the industry, while three quarters are employed mostly in academic establishments.

Landscape of AI Developers in Ukraine

Ukraine is generally known for a vibrant tech labor market, with the number of Artificial Intelligence (AI) developers also on the rise.

According to the LinkedIn data, the number of Data Science experts is currently approximating 3,500 persons, 3,000+ experts specialize in ML, and AI specialists are 1691 in number. These figures are quite impressive, with such narrow specializations as deep learning (1,164), natural language processing (872) and neural networks (1,460) also topping the LinkedIn charts.

Overall, there are over 4,000 Ukrainian experts specializing in various aspects of Robotics – a fair share of the modern tech market to consider. But data generally varies, with other LinkedIn sources indicating the availability of 20,400 AI specialists and 13,500 ML experts in Ukraine.
Here is a brief breakdown of AI specialists’ geographical distribution across major Ukrainian tech hubs (according to LinkedIn stats):

Besides the rising number of tech specialists working in the AI field, the quantity of AI-related startups is also on the rise.

Only in 2018, the number of officially registered IT entrepreneurs increased by 23%, from 125,000 to 154,000 individuals.

Thus, foreign companies interested in outsourcing AI and ML projects to Ukraine can contact them directly or find appropriate [partners at any of the ten conferences held in Ukraine annually; currently, the most credible ones include AI Conference Kyiv and Data Science UA Conference.

Hiring AI Development Company in Ukraine

If don’t have enough time to search and don’t want to manage your own office in Ukraine, you can consider hiring AI development team. Feel free to contact Qubit Labs, we have vast experience in providing development teams for clients.