Fortune 50 AI Innovators

August 09,2024

The essential guide to a sector that’s now attracting one out of every four startup investment dollars..
Will AI create a world where no job is needed? Will computers achieve human-level intelligence? Where will the dramatic OpenAI storyline end up? The drama unfolding in the world of AI has proven that readers and investors need to follow the space closely—and it's changing minute to minute. Predictions, ideas, and execution around the technology are, to put it mildly, all over the map. But one thing we know for sure about this sector, which is still in its infancy: Investors and companies large and small are taking it seriously. Microsoft—itself a major player via its relationship with OpenAI—recently found that for every $1 invested in AI, companies are reaping $3.50 in return. And according to Crunchbase, one in four dollars invested in American startups have gone to AI companies this year; already 200 AI unicorns have been created. But as anyone who has lived through a hype cycle knows, even the hottest sector mints far more miserable failures than stunning successes. For the inaugural Fortune 50 AI Innovators list we canvassed VCs, industry analysts, and our own formidable staff of AI experts to identify companies that are at the cutting edge. One thing we know for sure: The work these companies are doing won’t just shape the future of AI, it will shape the world we all live in.