Investors just can't get enough of artificial intelligence and machine-learning startups--if the latest data on venture capital funding is any indication. Total funding for AI and machine-learning startups for the first three quarters of 2019 was $12.1 billion, surpassing last year's total of $10.2 billion, according to the PwC and CB Insights' MoneyTree report. With global spending on AI systems set to grow 28.4 percent annually to $97.9 billion, according to research firm IDC, these startups see an opportunity to build new hardware and software innovations that can fundamentally change the way we work and live. What follows is a look at the 10 hottest AI and machine-learning startups of 2019, whose products range from new AI hardware and open-source platforms to AI-powered sales applications.

Nightfall is using machine learning and natural language processing to help organizations discover and protect their most sensitive information with the startup's cloud-native data loss protection platform. The San Francisco-based startup launched out of stealth mode in November with $20.3 million in funding led by Bain Capital Ventures and Venrock, with participation from Atlassian CTO Sri Viswanath and New York Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, among other investors. The startup's platform supports integrations with Slack to protect sensitive data shared in chat and with GitHub to protect sensitive keys and credentials in code.

H20.ai provides an open-source machine learning platform that is used by more than 14,000 organization across the world. The Mountain View, Calif.-based startup's platform includes a leaderboard of the best statistical models and machine learning algorithms determined through its AutoML feature. The company also provides an enterprise platform called Driverless AI that aims to automate and accelerate data science projects. The company has amassed $75 million in funding from investors, including Nvidia GPU Ventures, New York Life Insurance Co. and Wells Fargo.

In the west, AI and machine learning startups and tech giants of all stripes have been doing the M&A dance. Google, Apple and the like have been busy snapping up AI/ML startups and according to CB Insights, 30 companies in the space have been acquired since 2011 (five in this year alone). Activity in Asia has been decidedly quieter, with AI research and development mostly happening at the institutional and corporate level. In the region, it seems that Japan, South Korea and China are front runners in terms of AI activity. While Japan's Toyota is putting in $1 billion to ramp up AI research, mainly into autonomous vehicles, the South Korean government is also reportedly injecting $860 million into an AI research institute.

In the west, AI and machine learning startups and tech giants of all stripes have been doing the M&A dance. Google, Apple and the like have been busy snapping up AI/ML startups and according to CB Insights, 30 companies in the space have been acquired since 2011 (five in this year alone). Activity in Asia has been decidedly quieter, with AI research and development mostly happening at the institutional and corporate level. In the region, it seems that Japan, South Korea and China are front runners in terms of AI activity. While Japan's Toyota is putting in $1 billion to ramp up AI research, mainly into autonomous vehicles, the South Korean government is also reportedly injecting $860 million into an AI research institute.

In the west, AI and machine learning startups and tech giants of all stripes have been doing the M&A dance. Google, Apple and the like have been busy snapping up AI/ML startups and according to CB Insights, 30 companies in the space have been acquired since 2011 (five in this year alone). Activity in Asia has been decidedly quieter, with AI research and development mostly happening at the institutional and corporate level. In the region, it seems that Japan, South Korea and China are front runners in terms of AI activity. While Japan's Toyota is putting in $1 billion to ramp up AI research, mainly into autonomous vehicles, the South Korean government is also reportedly injecting $860 million into an AI research institute.