"Artificial intelligence is to trading what fire was to the cavemen." That's how one industry player described the impact of a disruptive technology on a staid industry. In other (less creative) words, AI is a game changer for the stock market. While humans remain a big part of the trading equation, AI plays an increasingly significant role. According to a recent study by U.K. research firm Coalition, electronic trades account for almost 45 percent of revenues in cash equities trading.

Examples of artificial intelligence (AI) in pop culture usually involve a pack of intelligent robots hell-bent on overthrowing the human race, or at least a fancy theme park. Sentient machines with general artificial intelligence don't yet exist, and they likely won't exist anytime soon, so we're safe... for now. That's not to make light of AI's potential impact on our future. In a recent survey, more than 72% of Americans expressed worry about a future in which machines perform many human jobs. Additionally, tech billionaire Elon Musk, long an advocate for the regulation of artificial intelligence, recently called AI more dangerous than nukes. Whether we realize it or not, artificial intelligence is all around us and playing an active role in our daily lives. Every time we open our Facebook newsfeed, do a Google search, get a product recommendation from Amazon or book a trip online, AI is lurking in the background.

From Google and Amazon to Apple and Microsoft, every major tech company is dedicating resources to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa have made AI a part of our daily lives. Meanwhile, revolutionary breakthroughs like self-driving cars may not be the norm, but are certainly within reach. As the big guys scramble to infuse their products with artificial intelligence, other companies are hard at work developing their own intelligent technology and services. Here are 32 artificial intelligence companies and AI startups you may not know today, but you will tomorrow.

Consider, for example, that the temperature of most quantum processing chips must be kept as close to absolute zero (roughly -460 degrees Fahrenheit) as possible. Or that some physicists think quantum computing is "the first technology that allows useful tasks to be performed in collaboration between parallel universes." Or that a quantum computer recently "made history go backward." True, it was only a simulation, but still -- brain blowing stuff. Before we get carried away, though, let's consider the foundational basics. Classical computers operate using binary bits, storing data and running processes using ones and zeroes.

By the year 2021, cybercrime losses will cost upwards of $6 trillion annually. It's no surprise, then, that the cybersecurity industry is exploding as it grows to protect the networks and systems on which companies and organizations operate and store data. Because effective information security requires smarter detection, many cybersecurity companies are upping their game by using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal. A new wave of AI-powered solutions and products keep bad actors on their toes while giving IT teams much needed relief. Here are 30 companies merging artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to make the virtual world safer.