- Healthcare leads the list of the most AI-driven industries in 2025, with $4.2B global investments into start-ups.
- The finance sector stands out with over 11,000 AI start-ups.
- Construction is the least AI-driven industry, with only $200M invested in AI start-ups.
A recent study by Yijin Hardware analyzed global sectors across key factors to identify the most and least AI-driven industries of 2025. The research takes into account global investments in AI start-ups, the number of industry-specific AI start-ups, interest in AI technologies reflected through Google search volume, and top uses for AI technologies in the industry. The final ranking is based on the AI engagement score, which was calculated using the key factors described above.
Here’s the summary of the findings:
| Industry | Search Volume of AI for “Industry Name” | Global AI start-up Investment | Industry-Specific AI Startups | AI Engagement Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 | ||||
| Healthcare | 485,580 | $4.2 billion | 11228 | 100 |
| Finance | 220,720 | $2.1 billion | 11057 | 72.42 |
| Marketing & Advertising | 241,410 | $1.1 billion | 9971 | 60.98 |
| Legal Services | 370,050 | $0.4 billion | 9250 | 58.18 |
| Education & Elearning | 399,590 | $1.2 billion | 4340 | 41.87 |
| Bottom 5 | ||||
| Agriculture | 104,530 | $0.5 billion | 1,736 | 11.46 |
| Manufacturing | 65,660 | $0.9 billion | 1,080 | 9.5 |
| Real Estate | 52,950 | $0.6 billion | 799 | 5.45 |
| Insurance | 61,240 | $0.6 billion | 678 | 5.24 |
| Construction | 28,330 | $0.2 billion | 696 | 1 |
You can access the full research findings by following this link.
Most AI-driven industries
The most AI-driven industry in 2025 is healthcare, with an AI engagement score of 100, reflecting a large number of AI start-ups and extensive financial support. The global AI start-up investments in healthcare amount to $4.2B, including medical AI-analysis of X-rays and MRIs, administrative automation, and drug development. Currently, there are 11,228 healthcare-specific active AI startups in the world.
Finance ranks 2nd in the list of the most AI-driven industries in 2025, with a score of 72.4. There is a similar number of AI startups, 11,057, but the funding is smaller. Global investments sum up to $2.1B, two times less than for healthcare. The main AI uses in the sector include fraud monitoring and trading automation.
The marketing & advertising sector is third, getting an AI engagement score of 60.9. There is more interest in AI innovations in the sector from the general public than in finance, with 241K monthly searches. The global funding comes to $1.1.B for over 9,970 AI start-ups.
Legal services follow closely with fourth place and a score of 58.1. The number of AI start-ups in the industry is a little lower than in marketing & advertising, but the finding is much smaller at $0.4B, 5 times less than for finance and 10 times less than for healthcare.
Education & learning is fifth in the ranking of the most AI-driven industries in 2025, with an AI engagement score of 41.8. The innovations in this sector are the second most popular, with over 399K queries each month. Most popular AI innovations in the industry are related to virtual tutoring and test grading automation.
Least AI-driven industries
Construction is the least AI-driven industry in 2025, with a minimal possible score of 1. There are less than 700 active startups in the sector, with a total funding of $200M, the lowest in the list.
Insurance takes second place among the least AI-driven industries of 2025, getting an AI engagement score of 5.2. The public interest towards AI innovations for insurance is higher than for construction, with 61K monthly queries, and there are currently 678 active startups in the industry.
Real estate holds third place, scoring 5.4. The funding for it is the same as for insurance AI innovations, at $600M globally. There are more startups for AI in the sector than in insurance or construction, with 799.
Manufacturing ranks 4th, getting an AI engagement score of 9.5. The general interest in AI in the industry is similar to insurance, but the startups gather more funding, with $900M. The most explored directions for AI innovations in manufacturing are machine failure detection and quality control.
Agriculture closes the ranking of the least A-driven industries with fifth place and a score of 11.4. There are over 1,700 start-ups focused specifically on AI in agriculture, developing technologies for spotting insect pests and monitoring crop health. At the same time, the funding for AI in agriculture is smaller than for manufacturing or real estate at $500M.
A spokesperson for Yijin Hardware commented on the study: “The clear divide in AI adoption across industries reveals a growing innovation inequality that could permanently transform competitive landscapes. This widening gap isn’t just about efficiency gains – it represents a fundamental reimagining of how entire sectors function, with early AI adopters positioned to completely redefine market rules while technological laggards face increasingly difficult catch-up challenges. As algorithms become more sophisticated, this digital divide threatens to become permanent, potentially creating entirely separate economic ecosystems operating at dramatically different speeds and capabilities.”
Back to Top: These 5 Industries Lead in AI Adoption (and 5 Fall Behind)
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