If companies fail to make artificial intelligence (AI) a core competency within the next five years, they will face either stagnation or elimination. Recent GlobalData research reveals that incumbents in virtually every industry are facing some kind of game-changing disruption from AI technologies, with some being better prepared than others for the challenges ahead. AI adoption is highest in the banking and financial services, automotive, technology and telecoms verticals while the construction, energy and education industries lag behind. The report also identifies the market leaders and notable disruptive start-ups across seven AI technology areas, namely; machine learning, data science, conversational platforms, computer vision, AI chips, smart robots and context-aware computing. "AI is finally beginning to have an impact on the global economy. This technology has the potential to transform how we live and work at an extremely rapid rate and it is already beginning to have an effect across industries, with well-established incumbents increasingly coming up against major disruption from AI platforms developed either by the tech giants (including Amazon, Google and Microsoft) or by AI-focused start-ups," said Ed Thomas, Senior Analyst, Thematic Research Technology at GlobalData.