The Artificial Intelligence Gold Rush

Tech giants including Google, Twitter, Salesforce, Apple, Intel, Yahoo, IBM, and AOL bought nearly 30 AI startups in the last five years, according to CB Insights. Venture capital (VC) interest in AI boomed in recent years as well. The boom started two year ago as "2014 marked a banner year for VC investment in U.S.-based AI startups, with capital invested and deal count increasing year-on-year by 183 percent and 41 percent, respectively," stated a report by PitchBook, an M&A database. According to an analysis done by his firm, Magister Advisors, the median price paid to AI startups per employee is 2.4 million.