Israel’s computer geniuses (many of whom come from the Israel Defense Forces) are among the world’s best in cybersecurity, but investment in generative AI has been slow compared to the global surge in artificial intelligence (AI). The country is far from the top in the field of AI, as the increase remains at a low level and there is expected to be a shortage of human resources in this field.
Gen-AI, including Chat-GPT and Dall-E2, can generate 2D or 3D images, videos, text in story format, and other medical information in seconds upon request from computer users. It is trained by “learning” from text and images that already exist online. The tremendous growth in generative AI is primarily due to the fact that people can use natural language to facilitate AI research, writing, designing, coding, and more.
Because it allows students to easily create material that previously took days or weeks to research, it has become extremely popular and is sure to put many professionals out of work.
Generative AI models use neural networks to identify patterns in existing data and generate new content. Trained with unsupervised and semi-supervised learning approaches, organizations can create foundational models from large, unlabeled datasets, essentially forming the foundation for AI systems to perform tasks.
The fact that Israelis are behind in Gen-AI was “diagnosed” by RISE Israel (formerly SNPI), a nonprofit, independent think tank that promotes a competitive, sustainable, and innovation-driven economy. ing.
Its mission is to propose and support the implementation of strategies and practical policy measures for the Israeli economy, while leveraging technological solutions to improve people’s lives and address national challenges. It has said.
Improving Israeli society
Its “AI Forward: Unlocking AI’s Potential for the Future of Israel” is a joint project with Google Israel that will harness the AI revolution to improve the lives of Israelis, benefiting both Israeli society and Israel. It aims to develop and implement AI policies and regulations. economy.
There are approximately 2,300 AI companies operating in Israel, a quarter of the local high-tech industry, and more than 60% of them are software companies. Around 50% of startups founded in 2023 are reported to be leveraging AI technology. According to RISE, almost half of Israel’s total high-tech investment in 2023 was in AI companies.
RISE focuses on five key areas expected to have the greatest impact on the lives of Israelis. It is one of the few research and academic centers around the world selected by Google.org to shape the future of AI policy and chart guidelines for strategy and government policy in the field of artificial intelligence.
A new comprehensive study by RISE Israel Institute and Google Israel shows that Israel’s artificial intelligence sector is growing, with about half of investment and funding rounds to be completed in 2023. The growth in investments in Gen-AI based startups in Israel has increased significantly. The think tank leaders said this was low compared to the rest of the world.
“The Israeli public believes that artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on transportation and education, but is very concerned about the impact on employment and the loss of jobs,” they added.
This research is part of the “AI Forward” project, which promotes and implements AI policies for the benefit of Israel’s society and economy.
RISE and Google Israel are publishing a comprehensive new study analyzing the state of artificial intelligence in the country. The study examines the number of Israeli AI startups and the level of investment in them, along with global comparisons of growth rates. This study examines gaps in human capital and academia on key issues, as well as public sentiment towards AI, comparing with different countries around the world.
The growth in investment in Gen-AI-based startups in Israel is significantly lower than in the world, growing by 85% between 2020 and 2023, compared to 900% in the US and 300% in Europe – growth rates that are more than 9x and 3x, respectively.
AI-related jobs here rely on employees with advanced degrees (over 60%), but the number of master’s degree graduates in computer science, mathematics and statistics reaches fewer than 700 per year. The number of doctoral degree graduates has stagnated at about 100 per year. Year. Approximately 15% of master’s program graduates and 21% of doctoral program graduates are graduates. Computer science graduates move abroad. Although AI startups have more female founders than other high-tech companies, they still only make up 13% of all founders.
Approximately 55% of Israelis did not believe that AI had a significant impact on their lives in the past few years, but more than 80% expect it to have an impact within the next three to five years. Almost half of Israelis express some level of anxiety about AI, in line with the global average. However, around 80% of Israelis believe there are more benefits than drawbacks to AI technology, which is much higher than the global average of around 55%.
The areas where Israelis expect AI to have the greatest impact are education, transportation, and employment. More than 60% of respondents expect changes in education and transport to be positive, but only a third think the impact on employment will be positive.
The recently launched RISE project is directed by a steering committee comprised of Israeli innovation leaders. Professor Eugene Kandel, Chairman of RISE Israel. Shire Spiegelman, former CEO of the Department of Innovation, Science and Technology; Dr. Rital Hermann, legal and technology expert. Uri Eliabayev, AI consultant. Simrit Beinhollen, CEO of Maoz. Mahmoud Rahman, former senior deputy director general of the Ministry of Finance;
Since opening our first development center in Israel in 2006, Google has been committed to the Startup Nation and the continued growth of Israel’s high-tech industry. Currently, the company’s development center leads innovative technology development in the company’s core products such as search, Waze, artificial intelligence, and chip development. At the research center, the team focuses on developing AI-based tools and technologies to address challenges related to climate, health, and education, and building AI-based infrastructure for the company’s products.
Additionally, Google said it will support early-stage startups through its “Google for Startups” campus and help Israeli companies expand their activities in international markets. In early 2022, Google announced a five-year, $25 million investment program to integrate high-quality talent from underrepresented populations with a focus on AI skills, and in 2023, Google will focus on AI skills. Established a fund to support promising startups.
“RISE Israel’s research clearly shows that the AI sector is strengthening in Israel, and its impact is expected to change the future of the local economy,” Maoz declared. AI can also improve the lives of Israelis in a variety of areas, from education to healthcare to transportation. We believe that the knowledge accumulated at Startup Nation and the organizational strategy of learning from local startups already active in this field will change the future of the State of Israel. ”
Mr. Kandel said, “The AI revolution is Fait accompliAnd Israel cannot afford not to become a leading country in this field. Beyond the importance of staying competitive in global competition, the introduction of artificial intelligence can dramatically improve the quality of life for Israelis. He thanked Google for its cooperation in this important project, which he hopes will lead to a new reality for Israel. ”
