Top 10 AI Companies in Chicago (2025): The Complete Guide

Chicago has emerged as a major artificial intelligence hub, rivaling coastal tech centers with its unique combination of enterprise expertise, world-class universities, and industry-focused AI applications. While Silicon Valley builds consumer AI and New York focuses on fintech AI, Chicago excels at practical, business-focused artificial intelligence across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and financial services.

This comprehensive guide profiles the 10 most influential AI companies operating in Chicago in 2025. From established enterprise leaders in the Loop to innovative startups in River North and Fulton Market, these organizations are defining the future of AI implementation in business.

Whether you’re seeking AI solutions for your company, looking for career opportunities in artificial intelligence, or simply want to understand Chicago’s position in the AI landscape, this directory provides detailed insights into the companies shaping the industry.

What Makes Chicago’s AI Ecosystem Unique

Before diving into specific companies, it’s worth understanding what sets Chicago apart in the AI landscape.

Industry Application Focus: Unlike coastal tech hubs that often prioritize consumer applications, Chicago’s AI companies focus on solving real business problems in established industries. The city’s strength in logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance has produced AI companies with deep domain expertise.

Enterprise Experience: Chicago has long been a center for enterprise software and B2B technology. This legacy translates to AI companies that understand procurement cycles, compliance requirements, and the complexities of implementing AI in large organizations.

Talent Pipeline: With Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Illinois Institute of Technology all producing AI researchers and engineers, Chicago has a steady flow of talent combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills.

Pragmatic Innovation: Chicago’s business culture values ROI and practical outcomes. AI companies here must demonstrate clear business value, not just technological novelty. This pragmatism produces solutions that actually get adopted and generate results.

Accessible Ecosystem: Compared to Silicon Valley or New York, Chicago offers lower costs and a more collaborative, less competitive ecosystem. Companies share knowledge through meetups, events at 1871, and university partnerships.

Now let’s explore the companies leading Chicago’s AI revolution.

1. Relativity (Discovery + Legal AI)

Relativity is Chicago’s homegrown legal technology powerhouse, using AI to transform how law firms and corporations handle electronic discovery and investigation. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in the heart of the Loop, Relativity has grown into a global leader in e-discovery with AI at its core.

Location: 110 N Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: Relativity’s RelativityOne platform uses machine learning and AI to help legal teams analyze millions of documents during litigation and investigations. Their AI can identify relevant documents, detect patterns, recognize privileged communications, and surface key insights from massive data sets.

AI Focus Areas:

• Natural language processing for legal document analysis
• Predictive coding for document review prioritization
• Visual analytics for understanding document relationships
• Automated redaction and data protection
• Anomaly detection for investigation workflows

Why They Matter: Relativity processes petabytes of data for the world’s largest law firms, corporations, and government agencies. Their AI directly impacts major litigation, regulatory investigations, and compliance programs. The company has essentially defined the e-discovery software category.

Team Size: 1,000+ employees globally, with 600+ at Chicago headquarters

Funding/Status: Private company valued at $1+ billion (most recent valuation)

Career Opportunities: Relativity regularly hires AI/ML engineers, data scientists, NLP specialists, and product managers. They’re known for excellent company culture, competitive compensation, and opportunities to work on challenging AI problems at scale.

The company’s commitment to Chicago is evident in their expansion. Even as they’ve grown globally, Relativity has maintained and expanded their Chicago presence, recently renovating their Loop headquarters and continuing to recruit heavily from Chicago universities.

2. Tempus (AI-Driven Precision Medicine)

Tempus is revolutionizing healthcare by combining molecular data, clinical data, and artificial intelligence to personalize cancer treatment. Founded in 2015 by Groupon co-founder Eric Lefkofsky, Tempus has quickly become one of the most valuable health tech companies in the world.

Location: 600 W Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL (River North)

What They Do: Tempus uses AI to analyze clinical and molecular data from cancer patients, helping doctors make more informed treatment decisions. They’ve built the world’s largest library of clinical and molecular data, and they apply machine learning to identify treatment patterns, predict outcomes, and match patients with clinical trials.

AI Focus Areas:

• Genomic sequencing analysis using deep learning
• Clinical outcome prediction models
• Drug response prediction for personalized treatment
• Medical image analysis for radiology and pathology
• Natural language processing of clinical notes and medical literature

Why They Matter: Tempus works with approximately 65% of academic medical centers and community oncology clinics in the US. Their AI insights help doctors choose more effective cancer treatments, potentially saving thousands of lives annually. The company has expanded beyond oncology into cardiology, psychiatry, and infectious disease.

Team Size: 2,000+ employees, with major presence in Chicago

Funding/Status: Public company (NASDAQ: TEM), valued at $6+ billion

Career Opportunities: Tempus hires extensively across AI/ML roles including computer vision engineers, computational biologists, data scientists, and AI product managers. The mission-driven work attracts top talent from both healthcare and tech backgrounds.

The Chicago headquarters in River North serves as both the corporate center and a major R&D hub. The company has maintained deep ties to University of Chicago Medicine and Northwestern Medicine, creating a uniquely collaborative environment between academic medicine and commercial AI.

3. Grubhub (AI-Powered Logistics and Personalization)

While known primarily as a food delivery platform, Grubhub’s Chicago headquarters houses sophisticated AI systems optimizing logistics, demand prediction, and personalization. The company pioneered many of the AI techniques now standard in the delivery industry.

Location: 111 W Washington Street, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: Grubhub uses AI across their platform to predict food preparation times, optimize delivery routes, match orders with delivery drivers, personalize restaurant recommendations, and forecast demand. These AI systems coordinate thousands of simultaneous deliveries across hundreds of cities.

AI Focus Areas:

• Route optimization and logistics AI
• Demand forecasting and dynamic pricing
• Recommendation systems for restaurant and menu personalization
• Computer vision for menu digitization and food recognition
• Natural language processing for customer service automation

Why They Matter: Grubhub processes millions of orders weekly, and their AI systems directly impact delivery times, driver earnings, and restaurant success. The logistics optimization problems they solve at scale have applications far beyond food delivery.

Team Size: 2,000+ employees (Chicago headquarters houses engineering and data science teams)

Funding/Status: Acquired by Just Eat Takeaway in 2021, operates as major subsidiary

Career Opportunities: The Chicago office regularly hires machine learning engineers, data scientists, and operations research specialists. The scale of data and real-world impact make it an attractive destination for AI talent.

Grubhub’s Chicago roots run deep—founded here in 2004, the company has remained committed to the city even after acquisition. Their engineering team collaborates closely with Chicago universities on research problems in optimization and machine learning.

4. Sprout Social (Social Media AI and Analytics)

Sprout Social provides social media management and analytics powered by sophisticated AI. Their platform helps 30,000+ brands understand social conversations, optimize posting strategies, and measure social media ROI using natural language processing and predictive analytics.

Location: 131 S Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: Sprout Social’s AI analyzes billions of social media posts to surface insights, predict optimal posting times, identify influencers, detect sentiment, categorize customer service issues, and measure campaign effectiveness. Their AI helps brands understand what their audiences care about and respond intelligently.

AI Focus Areas:

• Natural language processing for sentiment analysis and topic extraction
• Social listening and trend detection
• Predictive analytics for optimal posting times
• Chatbot and automated response systems
• Image recognition for brand mention detection in photos
• Influencer identification and ranking algorithms

Why They Matter: Sprout Social is the preferred social media platform for major brands including Microsoft, Evernote, and GrubHub. Their AI insights directly influence how thousands of companies communicate with millions of customers on social platforms.

Team Size: 1,200+ employees, majority in Chicago

Funding/Status: Public company (NASDAQ: SPT), market cap $2+ billion

Career Opportunities: Sprout hires AI/ML engineers, NLP specialists, data scientists, and research scientists. The company is known for strong engineering culture, work-life balance, and commitment to professional development.

The company maintains a vibrant Chicago presence with offices in the Loop and active participation in Chicago’s tech community. They regularly speak at local meetups and recruit from Chicago universities.

5. Narrative Science (AI-Powered Business Intelligence)

Narrative Science pioneered the field of Natural Language Generation (NLG), creating AI that transforms data into written narratives. Their technology automatically generates business insights from complex datasets, making analytics accessible to non-technical users.

Location: 130 E Randolph Street, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: Narrative Science’s Quill platform analyzes business data and automatically generates plain-English explanations of what’s happening and why it matters. The AI can write thousands of customized reports simultaneously, each highlighting the insights most relevant to specific users.

AI Focus Areas:

• Natural language generation from structured data
• Automated business intelligence and reporting
• Personalized narrative creation at scale
• Data-to-insights AI pipelines
• Explainable AI for business analytics

Why They Matter: Narrative Science has democratized data analysis. Their AI allows salespeople, marketers, and executives to understand complex analytics without SQL queries or data science expertise. Companies like Deloitte, USAA, and Credit Suisse use their technology to scale insights across organizations.

Team Size: 200+ employees (acquired by Salesforce in 2021, maintains Chicago operations)

Funding/Status: Acquired by Salesforce, operates as Einstein Analytics division

Career Opportunities: As part of Salesforce, the Chicago team works on Einstein’s NLG capabilities. They hire computational linguists, NLP engineers, and AI researchers focused on natural language generation.

Narrative Science originated from research at Northwestern University’s Intelligent Information Laboratory, exemplifying Chicago’s strength in turning academic AI research into commercial products.

6. Signal AI (Acquired by DataRobot - Enterprise Decision Intelligence)

Signal AI, recently acquired by DataRobot, provides AI-powered business intelligence that monitors millions of sources to help enterprises understand markets, competitors, and risks in real-time. Their Chicago office plays a key role in North American operations.

Location: 515 N State Street, Chicago, IL (River North)

What They Do: Signal AI’s platform continuously monitors news, regulatory filings, social media, and other sources, using NLP and machine learning to surface relevant insights for business decision-makers. The AI identifies emerging trends, competitive threats, and market opportunities before they become obvious.

AI Focus Areas:

• Real-time media monitoring and analysis
• Entity recognition and knowledge graph construction
• Sentiment analysis and trend detection
• Risk assessment and early warning systems
• Automated insight generation for strategic decision-making

Why They Matter: Fortune 500 companies rely on Signal AI to track competitive intelligence, manage reputation, and identify strategic opportunities. Their AI processes over 5 million documents daily from 300+ million sources.

Team Size: 300+ employees globally, growing Chicago presence

Funding/Status: Acquired by DataRobot (2024), operates as business intelligence division

Career Opportunities: Signal AI hires NLP engineers, machine learning researchers, and data scientists focused on information extraction and knowledge management.

The Chicago office serves enterprise clients in manufacturing, finance, and healthcare—industries where Chicago has deep expertise. This local industry knowledge enhances their AI’s relevance for these verticals.

7. G2 (AI-Driven B2B Review Platform)

G2 has become the dominant software review platform by using AI to collect, verify, and analyze millions of software reviews. Their machine learning systems help businesses make better technology purchasing decisions.

Location: 100 S Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: G2 uses AI to analyze software reviews, detect fake reviews, match buyers with appropriate solutions, predict software satisfaction, and generate insights from user feedback. The platform influences billions of dollars in B2B software purchasing decisions annually.

AI Focus Areas:

• Review authenticity detection and fraud prevention
• Natural language processing for review analysis and sentiment
• Recommendation systems for software matching
• Predictive analytics for user satisfaction
• Automated categorization and tagging

Why They Matter: G2 hosts over 2 million verified software reviews across 100,000+ products. Their AI insights help companies navigate complex software decisions, and their “G2 Grid” rankings significantly influence B2B software markets.

Team Size: 800+ employees, headquartered in Chicago

Funding/Status: Private, valued at $1+ billion, backed by Permira, IVP, and Accel

Career Opportunities: G2 regularly hires machine learning engineers, data scientists, and AI product managers. The company is known for strong culture, rapid growth, and opportunities to work with large-scale user-generated content.

G2’s success demonstrates Chicago’s strength in B2B software—understanding enterprise needs and building AI that solves practical business problems rather than chasing technological novelty.

8. Project44 (AI-Optimized Supply Chain Visibility)

Project44 provides real-time supply chain visibility using AI to track shipments across multiple carriers and modes of transport. In a city built on logistics, project44 represents Chicago’s evolution into AI-powered supply chain intelligence.

Location: 330 N Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: Project44’s platform integrates with 1,000+ carriers to provide real-time shipment tracking and predictive alerts. Their AI predicts delivery exceptions before they occur, optimizes routing, and provides supply chain analytics for manufacturers and retailers.

AI Focus Areas:

• Predictive analytics for delivery exceptions and delays
• Route optimization across multimodal transport
• Demand forecasting for capacity planning
• Natural language processing of carrier communications
• Anomaly detection in supply chain operations

Why They Matter: Project44 tracks over 1 billion shipments annually for companies like Mercedes-Benz, FedEx, and DHL. Their AI helps companies avoid stock-outs, reduce freight costs, and improve customer satisfaction through accurate delivery predictions.

Team Size: 500+ employees globally, major presence in Chicago

Funding/Status: Private, valued at $1+ billion, backed by Goldman Sachs and others

Career Opportunities: The company hires data scientists, ML engineers, and operations research specialists. Supply chain optimization offers challenging AI problems at global scale.

Project44’s Chicago location is strategic—the city is North America’s freight hub, giving the company direct access to logistics expertise and industry partnerships unavailable elsewhere.

9. ActiveCampaign (AI-Powered Marketing Automation)

ActiveCampaign is a fast-growing marketing automation platform that uses AI to optimize email campaigns, predict customer behavior, and personalize marketing at scale. Their Chicago headquarters drives product development for 180,000+ businesses worldwide.

Location: 1 N Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL (Loop)

What They Do: ActiveCampaign’s platform uses machine learning to predict optimal send times, segment audiences, score leads, personalize content, and automate marketing workflows. Their AI helps small and medium businesses execute sophisticated marketing strategies previously available only to enterprises.

AI Focus Areas:

• Predictive send time optimization
• Lead scoring and conversion prediction
• Content personalization and recommendation
• Natural language processing for email content optimization
• Behavioral prediction and customer journey modeling

Why They Matter: ActiveCampaign competes with larger platforms like HubSpot and Mailchimp by offering more sophisticated AI at lower price points. Their success demonstrates Chicago’s ability to build AI-powered products for the broader market, not just enterprises.

Team Size: 850+ employees globally, with significant Chicago engineering presence

Funding/Status: Private, valued at $3+ billion, backed by Silversmith Capital Partners and Tiger Global

Career Opportunities: ActiveCampaign hires machine learning engineers, data scientists, and AI product managers focused on marketing technology. The company is known for remote-friendly culture and rapid career growth.

The company maintains strong connections to Chicago’s startup ecosystem through 1871 and ChiTech, regularly mentoring early-stage companies and participating in local tech events.

10. Uptake (Industrial AI and Predictive Maintenance)

Uptake applies AI to industrial equipment, predicting failures before they occur and optimizing asset performance. Founded in 2014 by Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell, Uptake represents Chicago’s strength in industrial AI applications.

Location: 600 W Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL (River North)

What They Do: Uptake’s AI analyzes sensor data from industrial equipment—wind turbines, locomotives, mining equipment, aircraft—to predict maintenance needs, optimize performance, and prevent catastrophic failures. Their predictive models can forecast equipment failures weeks in advance.

AI Focus Areas:

• Time-series analysis for sensor data
• Predictive maintenance modeling
• Anomaly detection in industrial equipment
• Computer vision for equipment inspection
• Optimization algorithms for asset performance

Why They Matter: Uptake’s AI prevents costly downtime for companies like Boeing, Caterpillar, and Berkshire Hathaway Energy. A single prevented locomotive failure can save railroads hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their industrial AI approach has been adopted across mining, energy, aviation, and rail.

Team Size: 400+ employees, headquartered in Chicago

Funding/Status: Private, backed by Baillie Gifford, Caterpillar, and others

Career Opportunities: Uptake hires data scientists, machine learning engineers, and domain experts combining AI expertise with industrial knowledge. The work involves cutting-edge time-series modeling applied to critical real-world systems.

Uptake’s focus on industrial applications reflects Chicago’s manufacturing heritage and demonstrates how the city’s traditional strengths are being transformed through AI.

Emerging AI Companies to Watch

Beyond the top 10, several Chicago AI companies are rapidly growing and worth watching:

Hazel Health (Telehealth AI): Using AI to provide school-based healthcare, particularly in underserved communities

Tovala (Consumer AI): Smart ovens with AI-optimized cooking powered by meal kits and machine learning

Arrive Logistics (Freight AI): AI-powered freight brokerage optimizing logistics and carrier matching

Fooda (Workplace Food AI): Using AI to predict food demand and optimize restaurant scheduling for office buildings

Amount (Fintech AI): Digital banking technology with AI-powered lending decisions and fraud detection

These companies represent Chicago’s next wave of AI innovation across healthcare, consumer products, logistics, and financial services.

Chicago’s AI Support Ecosystem

Chicago’s AI companies benefit from a robust support ecosystem:

1871: Chicago’s premier technology hub in the Merchandise Mart hosts startup events, workshops, and networking for AI entrepreneurs

University Research Centers:

• University of Chicago Data Science Institute
• Northwestern’s Center for Deep Learning
• Illinois Tech’s AI and Machine Learning programs

Investment Community: Active VC firms including Hyde Park Venture Partners, Math Venture Partners, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital specifically backing AI companies

Meetups and Events:

• Chicago ML (monthly machine learning meetup)
• ChiPy (Chicago Python Users Group with AI focus)
• AI Workshop Chicago (hands-on training events)
• Deep Learning Chicago

Talent Pipeline: 15,000+ computer science and engineering graduates annually from Chicago universities

This ecosystem creates a collaborative environment where AI companies share talent, knowledge, and resources.

Industries Driving Chicago AI Growth

Chicago’s AI companies cluster around the city’s traditional economic strengths:

Logistics and Supply Chain: Companies like project44 and Arrive Logistics leverage Chicago’s position as North America’s freight hub

Healthcare and Life Sciences: Tempus, Hazel Health, and numerous healthcare AI startups benefit from world-class medical institutions

Financial Services: Trading firms, banks, and fintech companies drive demand for AI in fraud detection, algorithmic trading, and lending

Manufacturing: Uptake and others apply AI to industrial equipment, reflecting Chicago’s manufacturing heritage

Marketing Technology: Sprout Social, ActiveCampaign, and G2 build AI for B2B marketing and sales

This industry diversity creates resilience—Chicago’s AI ecosystem isn’t dependent on a single vertical like some tech hubs.

Career Opportunities in Chicago AI

Chicago’s AI job market is robust and growing. Key advantages for AI professionals in Chicago:

Cost of Living: Chicago salaries are only 10-15% below coastal tech hubs, but cost of living is 30-40% lower, resulting in better quality of life

Industry Diversity: Opportunities across healthcare, logistics, finance, marketing, and manufacturing provide career flexibility

Career Growth: Smaller teams than FAANG companies mean faster advancement and broader responsibilities

Work-Life Balance: Chicago tech culture emphasizes sustainable pace over the extreme hours common in Silicon Valley

Educational Opportunities: World-class universities offer part-time master’s programs, bootcamps, and workshops like AI Workshop Chicago for continuous learning

Typical AI/ML engineer compensation in Chicago ranges from $120,000 for junior roles to $250,000+ for senior positions, with equity packages at later-stage startups adding significant upside.

How to Connect with Chicago’s AI Community

To engage with Chicago’s AI ecosystem:

Attend Meetups: Chicago ML, Deep Learning Chicago, and ChiPy host monthly events with presentations and networking

Join 1871: Membership provides access to events, workspace, and connections to the startup community

Participate in University Events: Many university AI research centers host public lectures and workshops

Take Workshops: Hands-on programs like AI Workshop Chicago provide practical skills and community connections

Follow Local AI Leaders: Eric Lefkofsky (Tempus), Brad Keywell (Uptake), and other founders actively share insights on LinkedIn and Twitter

Contribute to Open Source: Many Chicago AI companies contribute to and hire from open-source ML communities

The Chicago AI community is notably welcoming and collaborative—significantly less competitive than coastal tech hubs while maintaining technical excellence.

The Future of AI in Chicago

Chicago’s AI ecosystem is poised for continued growth driven by several factors:

Industry Transformation: Traditional Chicago industries (manufacturing, logistics, healthcare) are early in their AI adoption journey, creating sustained demand

University Investment: Major AI research expansions at University of Chicago, Northwestern, and UIUC are increasing talent pipeline and research output

Corporate AI Adoption: Chicago’s 36 Fortune 500 headquarters are increasingly implementing AI, creating opportunities for both startups and service providers

Remote Work Impact: Chicago is attracting AI talent from coastal cities seeking better quality of life without sacrificing career opportunities

Government Support: Illinois is investing in AI research infrastructure and workforce development programs

The next five years will likely see Chicago cement its position as the third major AI hub in the US, behind only Silicon Valley and New York, with particular strength in enterprise and industrial AI applications.

Conclusion: Chicago’s AI Advantage

Chicago has evolved from a traditional industrial and financial center into a major hub for practical, business-focused artificial intelligence. The companies profiled in this guide demonstrate Chicago’s unique strengths: deep industry expertise, pragmatic innovation, and AI that solves real problems at scale.

Whether you’re a business seeking AI solutions, a professional building AI skills, or an entrepreneur considering where to launch an AI company, Chicago offers compelling advantages:

• Access to industry expertise across logistics, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing
• Lower costs and higher quality of life than coastal tech hubs
• Collaborative ecosystem and strong university partnerships
• Growing venture capital presence and corporate innovation budgets
• Practical, ROI-focused business culture

The AI companies in this directory represent just the tip of Chicago’s AI ecosystem. Hundreds of additional companies are applying machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and other AI technologies across every industry.

For professionals looking to enter or advance in AI, Chicago provides exceptional opportunities. The combination of growing companies, diverse industries, and educational resources like AI Workshop Chicago makes the city an ideal place to build an AI career.

Ready to develop practical AI skills in Chicago’s collaborative tech community? Join our next hands-on workshop and connect with professionals from the companies profiled in this guide.

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Chicago’s AI story is just beginning. The companies leading today are creating the foundation for decades of innovation in practical, business-focused artificial intelligence.