When we sit and work on legislation, I wonder whether the legislation alone would deliver the results we're hoping it will deliver, particularly when we look at competitors, such as China and the US,

As European startups try to gain a competitive edge against the U.S. and China, there has been a big push to promote "deep tech." And recent years have indeed seen a surge in European startups developing products based on scientific breakthroughs. But it looks like the pandemic has put a dent in that momentum, at least for now. According to the latest State of European Tech report, funding for deep tech in Europe fell from $10.2 billion last year to $8.9 billion in 2020. The report is produced annually by venture capital firm Atomico in partnership with Slush, Orrick, and Silicon Valley Bank.

With artificial intelligence being at the brink of conquering our planet, we are now possibly facing the next critical phase of human history. Rarely have we seen a technological advancement that could so radically and irreversibly change the world as we know it. The implications of artificial intelligence are undoubtedly immense, as it would probably affect almost every industry in the world, reshaping businesses and jobs in the process. Before his death in March 2018, the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking was often quoted for being a dogged critic of artificial intelligence because of the magnitude of destructiveness that might come along with giving computers an intelligence that is equal or even superior to that of a human. However, as reported by CNBC in 2017, Hawking found legislative proposals in the European Union to be hopeful in regulating AI and robots in various ways.

Reinventing the future of work can lead to shared prosperity. An artificial intelligence-driven career adviser, an industrial smart glove, freelance insurance, a tactile laptop for the visually impaired. The 12 European finalists of the global MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge are "improving economic opportunity for workers," according to the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. The challenge is the flagship program of the initiative, and this year the initiative launched a worldwide competition divided into five regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. "If we employ inclusive innovation globally, it could be the best thing that ever happened to humanity," Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the initiative, said in a statement.

Any current discussion of artificial intelligence in the workforce centers on how it will impact -- or outright replace -- certain departments or even employees. InReach Ventures co-founder Roberto Bonanzinga, for example, is investing $7 million on software that utilizes machine learning to find worthwhile European startups to pour capital into. Which raises the question: Why isn't every venture capital firm already doing this? Well-established metrics are being used to assess startup potential, and one glance at the market unveils a trove of data points being used by AI algorithms to establish correlations and patterns. These historical points are valuable in assessing how an early-stage startup will perform, while their disjointed and scattered natures provide the perfect environment for AI to thrive in.

Because we know how to have fun, we were (litteraly) excited about spending days and nights on crunching data of European startups funded in 2016 to eventually get a real sense of what is AI and Data's real trend in Europe. Here are 4 facts that will make you change your views and you can discover the full report at the end. Numbers stagger: $774 million -- Yes 7–7 and 4, nearly 10% of the total 10 billion invested in European startups in 2016, has been fully dedicated to AI & data. Even more striking is the number of AI start-ups financed: 271, three times 2015 figures. This trend has been led by early stage investments which played a signifiant role: $215 million have been invested in 171 early stage startups (0 to $5m in funding).