The AI startup industry may be heading for consolidation and bigger problems as the economy gets tougher: 'Get acquired or go out of business'

Perhaps no area of tech has been more buzzy in recent years than the shiny sector of artificial intelligence startups. That happy innovation workshop may have just hit hard times. AI execs and investors say market volatility and regulations clamping down on data may soon lead to AI startups getting gobbled up by companies with cash and data to burn. The market intelligence firm CB Insights said in a report this year that the 100 best-funded startups in artificial intelligence have raised over $7.4B in funding across 300 deals from 600 unique investors. Now as the market skyrockets, then plummets in extreme volatility amid the coronavirus crisis, that may be endangered.