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Artificial intelligence (AI) -- the capability of a machine to mimic human thinking and behavior -- is one of the biggest growth trends today.Spending on AI systems will increase by more than two and a half times between 2019 and 2023, from $37.5 billion to $97.9 billion, for a compound annual growth rate of 28.4%,according to estimates by research firm IDC. Other sources are projecting even more torrid growth rates.

There are two broad ways you can get exposure to the AI space:

With this background in mind, let's look at which AI stocks are performing the best so far this year (through Nov. 25) and which one is my choice for best AI stock for 2020.

Image source: Getty Images.

The following chart isn't meant to be all-inclusive, as that would be impossible, and the chart has limits on the number of metrics. Notable among the companies missing areAdvanced Micro Devices and Intel. They were left out largely because NVIDIA is currently the leader in supplying AI chips. While there are things to like about shares of both of these companies, NVIDIA stock is the better play on AI, in my view.

Data by YCharts.

Graphics processing unit (GPU) specialist NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), e-commerce and cloud computing service titanAmazon, computer software and cloud computer service giant Microsoft, Google parent and cloud computing service provider Alphabet, old technology guard and multifaceted AI player IBM, and Micron Technology, which makes computer memory chips and related storage products, would best be put in the first category above. They produce and sell AI-related products and/or services. They're all also probably using AI internally, with Amazon and Alphabet being notably heavy users of the tech to improve their products.

iPhone makerApple (NASDAQ:AAPL), social media leader Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), video-streaming king Netflix, and Stitch Fix, an online personal styling service provider, would best be categorized in the second group since they're either primarily or solely using AI to improve their products and services.

Now let's look at some basic stats for the three best performers of this group.

Company

Market Cap

P/E(Forward)

Wall Street's 5-Year Estimated Average Annual EPS Growth

5-Year Stock Return

Apple

NVIDIA

Facebook

S&P 500

--

--

Data sources: YCharts (returns) and Yahoo! Finance (all else). P/E = price-to-earnings ratio. EPS = earnings per share. Data as of Nov. 25, 2019.

On a valuation basis alone, Facebook stock looks the most compelling when we take earnings growth estimates into account. Then would come Apple and then NVIDIA. However, there are other factors to consider, with the biggie being that projected earnings growth is just that, projected.

There's a good argument to be made that NVIDIA has a great shot at exceeding analysts' earnings estimates. Why? Because it has a fantastic record of doing so, and all one needs to do is listen to enough quarterly earnings calls with Wall Street analysts to realize why this is so: A fair number of them don't seem to have a strong grasp of the company's operations and products. (I'm not knocking, as most analysts don't have technical backgrounds, and they cover a lot of companies.)

Facebook stock probably has the potential to continue to be a long-term winner. But it's relatively high regulatory risk profile makes it not a good fit for all investors. Moreover, it will likely have to keep spending a ton of money to help prevent "bad actors" from using its site for various nefarious purposes. Indeed, this is one of the major internal functions for which the company is using AI. It also uses the tech to recognize and tag uploaded images, among other things.

Apple uses AI internally in various ways, with the most consumer-facing one being powering its voice assistant Siri. It's the best of these three stocks for more conservative investors, as it has a great long-term track record and pays a modest dividend.NVIDIA, however, is probably the better choice for growth-oriented investors who are comfortable with a moderate risk level.

Image source: Getty Images.

NVIDIA is the leading supplier of graphics cards for computing gaming, with AMD a relatively distant second. In the last several years, it's transformed itself into a major AI player, or more specifically, a force to be reckoned with in the fast-growing deep-learning category of AI. Its GPUs are the gold standard for AI training in data centers, and it's now making inroads into AI inferencing. (Inferencing involves a machine or device applying what it's learned in its training to new data. It can be done in data centers or "at the edge" -- meaning at the location of the machine or device that's collecting the data.)

NVIDIA is in the relatively early stages of profiting from many gigantic growth trends, including AI, esports, driverless vehicles, virtual reality (VR), smart cities, drones, and more. (There is some overlap in these categories, as AI is involved to some degree in most of NVIDIA's products.) There are no pure plays on AI, to my knowledge, but NVIDIA would probably come the closest.

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The Best Artificial Intelligence Stocks of 2019 -- and The Top AI Stock for 2020 - The Motley Fool

close up man hand press on display screen tablet turn on wifi technology for using home automation ... [+] function to looking inside or outside home and property , ai innovation future concept

How are big data and AI changing the insurance industry?originally appeared onQuora:the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

AnswerbyPeter Colis, CEO and Co-founder atEthos Life, onQuora:

Big data is shaping the next wave of insurtech technology and has already helped us build better products and experiences. However, the insurance industry as a whole is tasked with striking a careful balance between the desire to keep innovating with the need to remain vigilant about how and when consumer data is used. As available data sources multiply, theres a growing conversation around the types of online data providers use to assess an individuals risk. This becomes even more thorny amidst the backdrop of increasingly strict data sharing and privacy regulations.

Its increasingly common for life insurance companies to use non-traditional sources of data such as credit scores, court documents, and motor vehicle records in assessing risk. To keep this practice ethical and avoid becoming invasive, its on insurance industry to find ways to innovate while still putting public good first.

Beyond the public data sources Ive already listed, fitness trackers and wearables are an emerging source of risk data in the insurance world. While sharing your fitness tracker data could benefit some people applying for life insurance policies (as a way to prove physical health), it also poses the risk of creating inaccurate or biased data pools. The nature of an opt-in program could negatively impact those who choose not to participate, incentivizing giving up ones right to keep that data private. Additionally, the data from those who do opt-in may not provide an honest representation of health status. Studies have shown many fitness trackers haveerror rates of 10 to 20 percent.

Finally, social media data is another contentious topic. Using information derived from peoples social media profiles, like publicly accessible Instagram accounts, is a slippery slope when it comes to assessing risk. Its not a consistent source of client data and it can chip away at consumer trust. Ultimately, the data youd glean is likely not even substantive or actionable enough for quality underwriting.

Insurance will continue to evolve into an increasingly data-driven industry. Already, its how we make informed decisions on anything, from marketing to underwriting. But at the end of the day, we can never lose sight of the main objective: protecting families.

This questionoriginally appeared onQuora- the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora onTwitterandFacebook. More questions:

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How Is Artificial Intelligence Changing The Insurance Industry? - Forbes

Adam Spunberg, Global Director of Tech Exploration

On November 19, APICS (American Production and Inventory Control Society, now known as ASCM, Association for Supply Chain Management) hosted a representative from Anheuser-Busch InBev who specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning innovation. The representative, Adam Spunberg, works out of the Newark office and is the global director of tech exploration.

In his position Spunberg monitors and oversees innovation in the supply chain area of the company. Additionally, he focuses on bringing the company together through new technology and using AI to do something spectacular that couldn't be done before. Through his experience, he has learned that innovation is a mixture of having great ideas and then generating support for those great ideas. Anheuser-Busch InBev has four main checkpoints for filtering these innovative ideas: idea prioritization, quality check, zone demand and direct sponsorship.

Idea prioritization focuses on filtering through ideas to find the most prominent and useful for the industry. Quality check ensures that the innovative idea doesn't exist in another company or at another Anheuser-Busch InBev location. Zone demand is analyzing which areas or satellite locations have the need for this innovation. Lastly, direct sponsorship refers to getting the support from the appropriate people needed within the company to move forward.

Building upon these checkpoints, Spunberg was able to share a variety of projects that Anheuser Busch InBev has been pursuing with the use of AI and machine learning. One project has included the use of AI video training. This project uses an online video library that has videos on how to complete every necessary task in the breweries. Using AI, the words spoken in these videos can be broken down into written text that becomes the captions in the video. Additionally, this AI software can translate both the audio and captions into another language.

Additionally, AI is being used to identify packaging defects within the factory assembly lines. This is achieved through a model that quickly snaps pictures of cans flowing through the assembly line. The software is then able to compare these pictures to existing pictures in order to determine if the individual can is in either good or bad quality. This allows the quality checking process for packaging defects to shift from manual labor to a technological feat.

Another use of AI is the advanced process control project, which offers a digital version of a production environment. More specifically, Anheuser Busch InBev replicates the environment of steam generation from a boiler in a model that accounts for the many variables expressed in the real-life environment. Once the digital environment is proven to be accurate to the real-life environment, then the proprietor can test different situations and events in this digital environment.

Spunberg also spoke about AI filtration optimization, which is not only applicable to Anheuser Busch InBev, but also many other companies and students. Anheuser Busch InBev utilizes Microsoft as their cloud computing basis. However, this prevents them from being able to utilize Google cloud and the services Google offers. In order to remedy this, AI has been used to develop new, cutting edge technology that creates an extra gateway layer that can process Google documents and data into Microsoft outputs.

As Spunberg concluded his presentation he emphasized, "Find your humanity in AI" -- highlighting the importance of giving back to less fortunate communities with the power that AI can bring. Using geo systems, Spunberg hopes to be able to optimize routes for the distribution of necessary supplies in third world countries. "Try to think about what you can do to leave your mark on the world and make life better for others."

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Global Director of Tech Exploration Discusses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Anheuser-Busch InBev - Seton Hall University News &...

According to a report, workers with a Bachelors degree are nowadays losing jobs 5 times more to artificial intelligence (AI) as compared to the past. This new report was revealed by Brookings Institution and has stated that blue-collar jobs like fast food preparation or jobs including machine operations will be more affected by the upcoming technology involving AI as compared to others. The highly-educated and high paying jobs are expected to be affected the most due to artificial intelligence according to the stats revealed by the report. Candidate from Stanford University named Michael Web was the one who analyzed more than 16,000 AI patents and more than 800 job descriptions to analyze the effects of AI to various jobs. The reason behind the AI taking out more jobs is due to the fact that AI technology is taking over jobs that include planning, reasoning, problem-solving and predicting outcomes.According to the study revealed by Brookings, the following are the high-paying jobs that are expected to be affected due to exposure to AI.

Gas plant operators

Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers

Political scientists

Nuclear technicians

Chemical engineers

Physicists

Occupational therapists

Is my job more tiresome than usual?

Does my job include any valuable information that could be used to train an AI system?

Is there any specific objective that could replace my job?

Anima says that workers should always develop skills for jobs that also include creativity, uniqueness and also require human interaction.

Read next: The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In Retail

Featured photo: Sorbetto /Getty Images

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Even your Bachelor's Degree can't compete with the latest trend of jobs towards Artificial Intelligence - Digital Information World

Manufacturing plays a central role in the global economy, and its a field where the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) is clear driving productivity, growth and employment.

But with the manufacturing sector among the first to reap the benefits of AI at scale, industrial businesses will also find themselves at the forefront of responding to some of the challenges of AI, from skills and culture, to ethics and responsibility.

It is these responses that will define our collective and individual success. Chris Harries, worldwide manufacturing industry solutions director for Microsoft, took to the main stage at Manufacturing Leaders Summit 2019 to explain more.

He began by charting the start of the First Industrial Revolution when the steam engine first appearance on the scene and changed the course of human history.

Almost everything we understand about how goods are produced, how societies are organised and how economies operate can be traced back to that moment, Harries noted.

Today, we are in the early stages of another technology-driven transformation; the catalyst this time is artificial intelligence (AI).

Harries described AI as a collective term for technologies that can sense their environment, think, learn and take action in response to what theyre sensing and their objectives.

At the granular level, AI can be built into processes we already run today, such as HSE compliance (see image right), as well as to create completely new solutions and capabilities, he continued.

Taken collectively the potential for change is vast, and like the First Industrial Revolution, manufacturing is again leading the way in adopting a new technology to create new products and services, transform processes, and revolutionise productivity.

Unlike with the First Industrial Generation, we wont need to wait a century to feel the full effects.

Over just the past couple of years, AI has already transformed how we work, live, learn, and play in dramatic ways. And the pace of change is accelerating.

The promise of AI in manufacturing hasnt been definitively calculated, with various studies and projections offering a wide spectrum of potential:

With our customers, were seeing the early signs of realising benefits through AI, most often through improved product quality, production and supply chain efficiencies, and the effectiveness of their service operations, Harries explained.

But as the sector starts to reap the benefits of AI, manufacturers also find themselves at the forefront of responding to some of the challenges.

Earlier this year, Microsoft collaborated with author Greg Shaw to publish The Future Computed: AI for Manufacturing.

In researching for the book, Shaw interviewed dozens of customers, policy makers, labor representatives and other stakeholders from around the world to find the story behind the impact of AI on the manufacturing sector and its workforce.

Through the course of these interviews, six themes began to emerge:

1. Manufacturers around the world are already seizing the AI opportunity.

More than that, they are seeing that the value of AI extends beyond productivity to include everything from workplace safety to process efficiencies, predictive maintenance, intelligent supply chains, and higher value, higher quality products.

2. To take full advantage of AI, companies are undergoing a cultural transformation that requires strong, committed leaders and engaged workers who are involved in decisions-making and implementation at every level of the process.

Companies seeing the greatest gains from AI today are those that are embracing change and eliminating the barriers between information systems and people, so they could create a seamless information supply chain that utilises their entire digital estate.

Removing these barriers is just as much about corporate culture as it is about technology implementation.

3. The managers inside production operations who are closest to the workforce care the most about AIs impact on employees.

Their focus on creating a better company translates to a commitment to create safer work environments, and to increasing productivity through providing better opportunities and fewer repetitive and unsatisfying jobs.

And because they put their people first, they are eager to adopt technologies that will have a positive impact on workers.

4. There is widespread optimism that AI will lead to more and better jobs over the long term; but disruption and dislocation are inevitable.

Everyone is concerned that manufacturing will face a significant talent shortage and wonders where the next generation of bright students with the right skills and training will come from.

Therefore, there is a very real need to create a talent pipeline filled with people who have the knowledge and capabilities to fill tomorrows manufacturing jobs.

Businesses, governments, educational institutions and labor organisations will all need to work together to forge new partnerships that are focused on skills and workforce development.

5. Its not just about digital skills, this new generation of technologies will also need a new generation of policies and laws.

It is clear that as manufacturers implement AI into their processes and incorporate it in their products, they are looking for new guidelines and updated legal frameworks that will clarify their obligations and help them anticipate potential issues.

To encourage the adoption of AI technologies in ways that strengthen worker safety, create more jobs, and promote economic growth and national competitiveness, regulators are eager to update existing laws so that they reflect the realities of our digital world.

6. AI is a journey and it will be different for everyone. And deploying AI is fundamentally different than implementing traditional software solutions.

This is not a build once, roll out worldwide technology that can be left in the hands of the IT team. For companies to reap the full benefits, AI systems need to continuously learn.

They must also be trained, monitored, evaluated and improved to guard against unconscious bias, and to avoid privacy violations and safety issues.

To ease the way forward, Microsoft has produced a framework to help companies assess their needs and determine what AI solutions to implement, and when.

This operational model begins at the foundational level for companies that are just beginning to explore what AI really is and how it can help them become a data-driven organisation.

It then moves through increasing levels of knowledge, culture change, and digital expertise until companies reach the level of maturity and tech intensity needed to apply AI ethically, responsibly, and successfully across their organisation.

Earlier this year, Microsoft in partnership with INSEAD also launched the AI Business School, a free, on-demand, masterclass series designed specifically for business leaders to empower them to get results from AI.

The course covers setting an AI strategy, enabling an AI-ready culture, fostering responsible and trustworthy AI, and finally an introduction to the full range of AI technologies that you could use to transform your organisation and ecosystem,

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Manufacturing Leaders' Summit: Realising the promise of Artificial Intelligence - Manufacturer.com