Catalonia has 179 artificial intelligence firms with a turnover of €1.35bn

Artificial intelligence is a growing field in Catalonia, which now boasts some 179 firms employing 8,400 people and with a total turnover of 1.35 billion euros.

That is according to a new study presented on Thursday from the government's digital policy department and the ACCIÓ business promotion agency.

The study also shows that 92% of Catalan companies in the sector are SMEs, with 71.5% under 10 years old, while 63% are startups, and 27% of them already export.

Meanwhile, almost 75% of the firms develop software or smart devices, while 10.6% create algorithms, another 10.6% are consultants, and 3.9% provide AI-based services.

AI to make up 14% of world GDP by 2030

On a global scale, the study estimates that the impact of artificial intelligence on world GDP will reach 14% in 2030, amounting to some 15.7 billion dollars.

The United States and China are expected to dominate the AI revolution - in 2016 the two countries accounted for 79% of the world's patents - with Europe coming next.

In fact, the European Commission has announced a plan to invest 1.5 billion euros in AI by 2020 to foster research into the technology.

The study concludes that the rise in GDP will be a result of a growth in productivity through automating processes and the effect of work assisted by artificial intelligence, saving time and reducing production costs.