The healthcare sector is leading the way in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions, according to a recent study by Yijin Hardware. The study reveals that healthcare boasts an impressive AI engagement score of 100, indicating a significant number of active AI startups and substantial financial backing. With global investments in healthcare AI startups reaching $4.2 billion, this sector is at the forefront of AI innovations, including medical AI analysis for X-rays and MRIs, administrative automation, and drug development.
Currently, there are 11,228 healthcare-specific active AI startups worldwide, reflecting the growing dependency on AI technologies in this field. The research, which aims to assess AI engagement across various industries for the year 2025, considered factors such as global investments in AI startups, the number of industry-specific AI startups, interest in AI technologies through Google search volume, and the primary applications of AI within each sector.
To gauge the level of AI adoption, researchers analyzed three key metrics: the number of AI-related startups (weighted at 50%), AI investment (30%), and search volume (20%). The data was normalized on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 representing the highest level of AI adoption within an industry. The final ranking is based on the calculated AI engagement score.
Following healthcare, the finance sector ranks second with an AI engagement score of 72.4. This sector has 11,057 AI startups and global investments totaling $2.1 billion, which is significantly less than healthcare. The primary applications of AI in finance include fraud monitoring and trading automation.
The marketing and advertising sector comes in third, achieving an AI engagement score of 60.9. This sector has seen a growing interest in AI innovations, with 241,000 monthly searches and global funding of $1.1 billion for over 9,970 AI startups. Notably, the interest in AI in marketing surpasses that in finance.
Legal services follow closely, ranking fourth with an AI engagement score of 58.1. The number of AI startups in this industry is slightly lower than in marketing and advertising, but the funding remains modest at $0.4 billion.
Education and learning round out the top five, with an AI engagement score of 41.8. This sector generates over 399,000 queries each month regarding AI innovations, primarily focused on virtual tutoring and test grading automation.
On the other end of the spectrum, construction is identified as the least AI-driven sector, scoring a minimal possible score of 1. The report indicates that there are fewer than 700 active startups in this industry, with total funding amounting to only $200 million. Insurance ranks second among the least AI-driven industries with a score of 5.2, followed by real estate, which scores 5.4. Both sectors face challenges in attracting significant investments for AI innovations.
Manufacturing, with an AI engagement score of 9.5, ranks fourth among the least AI-driven industries. It has garnered more funding than insurance or real estate, totaling $900 million, with a focus on machine failure detection and quality control. Agriculture closes the ranking of the least AI-driven industries with a score of 11.4, having over 1,700 startups focused on AI technologies for monitoring crop health and detecting insect pests.
A spokesperson from Yijin Hardware highlighted the widening gap in AI adoption across different industries, warning that this could lead to a permanent transformation of competitive landscapes. “This widening gap is not just about efficiency gains; it represents a fundamental reimagining of how entire sectors function,” the spokesperson stated. As algorithms become more sophisticated, the digital divide threatens to create entirely separate economic ecosystems, operating at dramatically different speeds and capabilities.
In a related development, global searches for the term "AI tools" have skyrocketed by an astonishing 8,600% over the past five years, according to the 2025 SEO Statistics Report by Searcherries. This surge places "AI tools" among the fastest-growing search queries, significantly outpacing other marketing-related terms. In contrast, searches for "SEO tools" increased by approximately 20%, while "marketing tools" saw an estimated 45% rise.
The notable increase in searches for AI tools reflects a broader trend of heightened interest in artificial intelligence within marketing and related fields. Currently, over 80% of marketers worldwide report utilizing AI technologies in their digital processes, with 85% indicating time savings of four hours or more per week through automation.
Moreover, 78% of marketers consider AI a crucial component of their long-term strategic planning. Approximately 20% of marketing teams have reported productivity improvements of up to 50% following the adoption of AI solutions. Content development is one of the primary areas benefiting from this technology, with 40% of content marketers using AI for creating content outlines and 54% employing it for idea generation and keyword planning.
Searcherries.com, an SEO research and analytics platform, provides insights aimed at helping users navigate shifts in search interest and make informed content strategy decisions. The data underscores the rapid evolution of AI in various industries and its growing importance in shaping the future of business operations.
As AI continues to advance, the implications for industries across the board are profound, with healthcare leading the charge. The ongoing developments promise to redefine how sectors operate and compete, making it essential for businesses to adapt to this technological revolution.
