Israeli computer geniuses – most of whom belong to the Israel Defense Forces – are among the world's best at cybersecurity, but the country is not a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), compared to creative-AI capital. There has been a slight increase in performance. Global growth, and the expected shortage of human capital in the field
Gen-AI, including Chat-GPT and Dall-E2, can generate 2-D or 3-D images, videos, text in story form and other medical applications within seconds by computer users within seconds of their request. It “learns” and is trained on text and images that are already online. The incredible growth of creative AI is largely due to the fact that people can use natural language to do AI research, writing, designing, coding and more.
It is famous for its easy-to-write content that would have taken students days or weeks to research and will surely put many professionals out of their jobs.
Generative AI models use neural networks to identify patterns in existing data to generate new content. Trained on unsupervised and semi-supervised learning methods, organizations can build foundation models from large, unlabeled data sets, essentially building a foundation for AI systems to perform tasks.
The fact that Israelis are lagging in Gen-AI has been “diagnosed” by RISE Israel (formerly SNPI), a non-profit independent think tank that promotes a competitive, sustainable, and innovation-based economy. .
Its mission, it says, is to propose and assist in the implementation of strategies and practical policy measures for the Israeli economy, while applying technological solutions to improve citizens' lives and address national challenges.
Improving Israeli society
His “AI Forward: Unlocking AI's Potential for the Future of Israel” is a joint project with Google Israel that aims to improve the lives of Israelis by taking advantage of the AI revolution, which aims to benefit both Israeli society and To deliver AI is to develop and implement policies and regulations. The economy
There are approximately 2,300 active AI companies in Israel, a quarter of the local high-tech sector, of which more than 60% are software companies. Nearly 50% of startups founded in 2023 reported using AI technology. According to RISE, AI companies accounted for nearly half of total investment in Israeli high-tech in 2023.
RISE is focusing on five key areas that are poised to have the most significant impact on the lives of Israeli citizens. It is one of the few research and knowledge centers worldwide selected by Google.org to shape the future of AI policy and develop guidelines for strategy and government policy in the field of artificial intelligence.
A new and comprehensive study by the RISE Israel Institute and Google Israel shows that the artificial intelligence sector is growing in Israel, with almost half of investments and funding rounds in 2023. Investments in Gen-AI-based startups in Israel are on the rise. Less than the rest of the world, think tank chiefs said.
“The Israeli public believes that artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on transportation and education – but they are quite concerned about the impact on employment and losing their jobs,” he added.
This research is part of the “AI Forward” project to develop and implement AI policy for the benefit of society and the economy in Israel.
RISE and Google Israel are publishing new comprehensive research that analyzes the country's artificial intelligence landscape. The study examines the number of Israeli AI startups and the level of investment in them, along with a global comparison of growth rates. The research examines gaps in human capital and academia, and public sentiment toward AI on key issues, comparing it to countries around the world.
Investment growth in Gen-AI-based startups in Israel is significantly lower than in the world: 85% growth between 2020 and 2023, compared to 900% in the US and 300% in Europe; There the growth is nine times and three times higher respectively.)
AI jobs here rely on employees with advanced degrees (more than 60%), but the number of master's degree holders in computer science, mathematics and statistics reaches fewer than 700 annually, while doctoral degrees The number of achievers has remained close to 100 percent. year about 15% of master's degree graduates and 21% of Ph.D. Graduates in computer science go abroad. Female founders are overrepresented in AI startups compared to other high-tech companies, yet they make up only 13% of all founders.
While about 55% of Israelis did not believe that AI had a significant impact on their lives in the past years, more than 80% predicted that it would in the next three to five years. About half of the Israeli public expresses some level of trepidation about AI, which is about the same as the global average. However, about 80% of Israelis see more benefits than drawbacks in AI technology, far higher than the global average of about 55%.
The sectors in which Israelis believe the impact of AI will be most significant are education, transportation and employment. More than 60% of respondents said they expect changes to education and transportation to be positive, but only a third believe the impact on employment will be positive.
Recently launched, the RISE project is directed by a steering committee consisting of Israeli innovation leaders: Boaz Mavs, Managing Director of Google Cloud Israel (Chairman Steering Committee); Professor Eugene Kendall, Chairman of RISE Israel; Shai Lee Spiegelman, former CEO of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology; Dr. Little Helman, a law and technology expert; Uri Eliabayev, AI consultant; Shamrat Ben Horen, CEO of Mauz; and Mahmood Rehman, former senior deputy director of the Ministry of Finance.
Since 2006, with the opening of its first development center in Israel, Google has been committed to the 'startup nation' and the continued growth of the Israeli high-tech industry. Today, the company's development centers lead innovative technological work in the company's core products such as search, vision, artificial intelligence, chip development, and more. At the research center, teams focus on developing AI-based tools and technologies to address climate, health and education challenges, and building AI-based infrastructure into the company's products.
In addition, Google said it supports early-stage startups through the “Google for Startups” campus and helps Israeli companies expand their activities in the international market. In early 2022, Google announced a $25 million investment program over five years to integrate a quality workforce from underrepresented populations, with an emphasis on AI skills, and in 2023, hope in AI fields. Afza established a fund to support startups.
“RISE Israel's research clearly indicates that the AI sector in Israel is gaining strength and its impact is expected to change the future of the local economy,” declared Mauss. can also improve, from education to health and transportation. We believe that the knowledge accumulated in Startup Nation, with a structured strategy, that already works in the field. Learns from others, will change the future of the state of Israel.”
Kandel concludes that “the AI revolution is a Destiny – Fate, and Israel cannot afford not to be a leading country in the field. Beyond the importance of maintaining our competitiveness in the global race, the adoption of artificial intelligence can dramatically improve the quality of life for Israelis. I thank Google for supporting this important project, which will hopefully lead to a new reality in Israel.