The Midwest has quietly built a powerful AI ecosystem. From healthcare to agriculture to autonomous vehicles, companies in the Midwest are transforming their industries by putting artificial intelligence to work. These organizations aren’t just experimenting with AI, they’re embedding it into their missions, products, and cultures. If you want to join a company that is building the next breakthrough in machine learning or applying AI to transform traditional sectors, these companies are leading the way.
Top AI Companies: Where AI is the Product
Some companies have built an entire business around advancing via artificial intelligence itself. These companies are on the frontlines of AI innovation, building the models, systems, and tools that power everything else.
Deepgram
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Deepgram is on a mission to transform the way humans interact with machines. They specialize in speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and audio intelligence to build voice experiences that enable natural-sounding conversations between humans and machines. With models built from scratch, their platform powers real-time, enterprise-grade voice applications. Their mission is to make human communication more accessible, understandable, and actionable through AI.
Quantum Signal AI
Location: Saline, MI
Quantum Signal AI, a subsidiary of Ford AV, develops advanced autonomy and intelligent vehicle systems. Their AI models handle sensing, perception, simulation, and embedded decision-making, helping fulfill their mission to support the capability, robustness, safety, and adoption of intelligent ground vehicles. Their vision is to make autonomous systems more robust and reliable in real-world conditions.
Torc Robotics
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Torc Robotics is pioneering autonomous trucking, using AI to achieve a freight vehicle system that is entirely autonomous to make transport safer, more sustainable, and more efficient. Their software handles perception, prediction, and decision-making, with a focus on safety and commercial viability.
Voxel51
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Voxel51 is rethinking data visualization with an AI-powered platform designed to curate and analyze data in a way that makes it instantly actionable. Their goal is to set the standard for explainable and trustworthy visual AI, helping enterprises quickly identify best-performing samples, weed out low-quality data, and organize dataset views intuitively.
Woven by Toyota
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Woven by Toyota develops advanced mobility technologies, from vehicle operating systems to driver-assist platforms, for its next-generation mobility-as-a-service vehicles. AI and machine learning are core to their mission of safer, smarter, software-defined vehicles. By combining AI with Toyota’s global reach, they are looking to transform how people move safely.
Interplai
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Interplai launched to solve the last-mile delivery challenge. Their AI-driven platform powers route optimization, marketplace scaling, and autonomous delivery solutions. Their smart solution adapts to traffic and demand changes in real time to make logistics faster, cheaper, and more sustainable for cities.
Livsee
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Livsee is a startup using AI to match renters with the right apartments. By applying predictive models and real-time insights, they simplify the leasing process for both renters and operators. As a result, Livsee is working to help increase occupancy in even the most competitive markets with AI-driven matching.
MemryX
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Using and deploying AI is expensive and resource-heavy. MemryX AI accelerator chips offer server-like performance and accuracy at low power and low cost. MemryX’s AI offers breakthrough performance with simple, easy-to-implement software integration, allowing enterprises to efficiently scale outside of the data center.
Uptake
Location: Chicago, IL
Uptake delivers industrial AI for predictive maintenance and asset optimization to make critical industries safer, smarter, and more sustainable. By analyzing equipment and telematics data, their platform prevents failures and boosts reliability by delivering solutions that ensure rapid cost analysis for both production and maintenance, and insights into precision maintenance.
CCC Intelligent Solutions
Location: Chicago, IL
CCC provides AI-powered claims and repair software for the auto insurance and repair ecosystem. They help everyone involved, from the insurers and repairers to the automakers and parts suppliers, with a solution that automates and streamlines the auto claims and repair process. Their computer vision models analyze damage photos and automate repair workflows to make auto claims faster, fairer, and more accurate with AI.
Root Insurance
Location: Columbus, OH
Root uses mobile telematics and machine learning to assess driving behavior and price auto insurance more fairly, reimagining the insurance experience. With AI at the core of pricing and claims, Root makes insurance transparent and customer-centric by using mobile technology and data science to offer fair, personalized rates to good drivers.
Path Robotics
Location: Columbus, OH
Path Robotics develops autonomous welding cells powered by computer vision and adaptive AI, transforming the manufacturing industry. With self-learning robotic systems designed to learn, adapt, and solve the hardest manufacturing challenges, Path Robotics is revolutionizing manufacturing.
Coterie Insurance
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Coterie simplifies small business insurance with AI-enabled real-time underwriting as part of their mission to empower small businesses with frictionless, data-driven protection. By automating policy binding and reducing manual review, they give entrepreneurs faster and more accurate coverage.
Physna
Location: Columbus, OH
Physna developed a geometric search engine to understand physical shapes, transforming the future of product design. By engaging classification systems, their AI is taught to understand and compare 3D models to eliminate duplicate designs, accelerate development, and enhance engineering workflows. Among the benefits are automated supply chain insights that can check inventory and find suppliers instantly, regardless of how parts are named.
Hudl
Location: Lincoln, NE
Hudl uses AI to enhance sports performance with automated video tagging and game analysis to help athletes, teams, coaches, and communities get the most out of every moment. They turn raw game and practice footage into actionable insights for coaches and athletes to make high-level performance analytics accessible to teams at every level.
Balto
Location: St. Louis, MO
Balto is powering a new era of knowledge work in the contact center. It does so by using real-time AI to guide contact center agents during live calls. Their speech intelligence surfaces next-best actions and compliance cues, improving performance and customer outcomes.
Capacity
Location: St. Louis, MO
Capacity is an AI-powered automation platform for customer and employee support to grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve customer and employee satisfaction. Their AI works across voice, web, email, social, SMS, in-app chat, and beyond, reducing repetitive work so teams can focus on the work that matters most to them
Torch.AI
Location: Leawood, KS
Torch.AI is focused on national defense and security, deploying its AI software to deeply research an array of national defense needs to fast-track full capability deployment. This allows for improved decision-making at scale to empower regulated industries to make decisions at a significant return on investment.
Roboflow
Location: Des Moines, IA
Roboflow provides end-to-end tools for creating datasets, training, and deploying computer vision models. Their platform aims to democratize computer vision applications (those that enable machines to “see” and interpret visual data to perform tasks) so developers and enterprises can build their own scalable computer vision applications tailored to meet their unique needs.
Ocuvera
Location: Lincoln, NE
Ocuvera improves patient safety with AI-powered hospital monitoring. The company’s predictive alerts help nurses quickly and efficiently respond to patient needs. For example, their computer vision models predict falls before they happen, alerting nurses in time to prevent injuries. Their mission is to save lives and protect vulnerable patients with proactive AI while empowering nurses to be more effective in their roles.
AI-Enabled Companies: Where AI Powers the Mission
These companies are using AI to enable their mission. They’re embedding machine learning into financial systems, agriculture, healthcare, and logistics, transforming legacy industries from the inside out. If you want to join a company where AI is driving impact, check out these organizations.
Wells Fargo
Location: Columbus, OH
Wells Fargo is one of the nation’s largest financial institutions, and its technology teams are driving the future of digital banking through innovation at scale. A prime example is Fargo®, their cutting-edge mobile banking app built with AI, machine learning, advanced cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure to help customers get answers to their everyday banking questions on their smartphone. Fargo® demonstrates how Wells Fargo technologists collaborate to deliver real-world solutions for millions of customers, blending trust and innovation in equal measure.
Relativity
Location: Chicago, IL
Relativity’s e-discovery platform uses embedded AI to streamline legal document review and breach response to make legal processes more efficient, accurate, and transparent. Their product, Relativity® aiR, uses human input to perceive intent and act fast, to help legal teams classify, translate, and surface critical evidence quickly. Speeding up the workflow so legal experts can build a case faster and more effectively.
Tempus
Location: Chicago, IL
Tempus is leveraging AI to transform precision medicine, building one of the largest clinical and molecular datasets in the world to create a healthcare system where every patient benefits from data-driven insights. Their AI-enabled diagnostics help personalize treatment and speed up patient care, leveraging AI to predict the effectiveness of treatments, identify potentially life-saving clinical trials, and diagnose multiple diseases earlier.
John Deere
Location: Moline, IL
John Deere is transforming agriculture with AI-enabled precision farming equipment. From autonomous tractors to See & Spray vision systems, their technology helps growers maximize yields and sustainability. By understanding the complex needs of a growing population, John Deere is embedding AI into every machine to help feed the world more efficiently and sustainably.
Benson Hill
Location: St Louis, MO
Benson Hill applies AI-driven biology to design better crops and ingredients. Their CropOS platform uses data and machine learning to accelerate trait discovery and deliver more sustainable, nutritious food in an effort to unlock plant diversity and build a healthier food system.
Epic Systems
Location: Verona, WI
Epic integrates AI into its electronic health records to assist with diagnoses, automate handoffs, and support patient communication. Their Cosmos data platform brings real-world evidence to the point of care to improve healthcare outcomes by embedding AI directly into the clinical workflow.
Fetch
Location: Madison, WI
Fetch is a consumer rewards app that uses AI to personalize offers and insights for millions of shoppers. Their platform connects users and brands through data-driven engagement and loyalty programs. Fetch’s goal is to offer real value in exchange for engagement, transforming traditional advertising into a mutually beneficial relationship.
Optum
Location: Eden Prairie, MN
Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, applies AI across population health, patient engagement, and clinical decision support to help people live healthier lives and allow the money they need to spend on their health go further. Their enterprise AI team develops predictive and generative AI models to improve care while managing complexity and cost.
C.H. Robinson
Location: Eden Prairie, MN
C.H. Robinson, a leader in global logistics, is embedding their AI into all logistics decisions through their Navisphere platform. Navisphere uses data to predict ETAs, manage risks, and automate millions of freight tasks. Plus, they recently launched a new AI agent to help shippers adapt to the new national system for classifying LTL (less-than-truckload) freight, enabling small businesses to keep up with their larger competitors.
The Midwest is a Leader in AI Innovation
The Midwest continues to prove itself as a powerhouse for innovation. Companies in the region are either building AI or leveraging it to modernize legacy industries, shaping a future where AI is both powerful and purposeful, and opening the door for mission-driven talent to make a real impact.
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