Data Annotation Tools Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Text, Image/Video, Audio), By Annotation Type (Manual, Semi-Supervised, Automatic), By Vertical (IT, Automotive, Government, Healthcare, Financial Services, Retail, Others) and By Region(North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, LATAM) Forecasts, 2024-2032

Market Overview

The global data annotation tools market size was valued at USD 2.27 billion in 2023. It is projected to reach from USD 2.87 billion in 2024 to USD 18.85 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 26.50% during the forecast period (2024–2032).

A data annotation tool is a software solution that may be used to annotate production-grade training data for machine learning. It can be cloud-based, on-premise, or containerized. At the same time, some businesses prefer to construct their tools, numerous data annotation solutions accessible as open-source or freemium.

Commercially, they are available for lease and purchase. Image, video, text, audio, spreadsheet, and sensor data annotation tools are all built to work with certain forms of data. They also provide many deployment options, such as on-premise, container, SaaS (cloud), and Kubernetes.

Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), robotics, advanced predictive analytics, and Artificial Intelligence generate enormous amounts of data (AI). Data efficiency is essential for creating new company concepts, infrastructure, and economics. These factors have significantly assisted the industry's growth. Companies building AI-enabled healthcare solutions are collaborating with data annotation companies to supply the essential data sets that can help them enhance their machine learning and deep learning skills. The enormous potential for growth in data labeling is the driving force for this collaboration.

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

• Rapid Penetration of AI in the Healthcare Sector

Data annotation is predicted to define a significant role in improving AI applications in healthcare. In medical imaging data technologies, AI-powered systems employ computer vision or machine vision to identify potential injuries and find trends, supporting health professionals in automatically writing reports once the patient has been assessed.

Artificial intelligence can quickly scan a database of X-Ray pictures, MRI scans, and CT scans to detect various injuries. To develop the final reports of the examined individuals, data annotation tools assist systems based on AI in separating data gathered from average and wounded medical photos. As a result, data annotation is projected to define a significant role in improving AI applications in the medical and healthcare industry.

For example, Innodata Inc., a U.S.-based startup, said in March 2021 that it was expanding its AI-based data annotation tools abilities to incorporate patient medical reports. Innodata wishes to merge its AI dataset annotating tools console and Synodex medical data extracting platform competencies to generate a medical record data annotation platform. This will result in high-standard artificial intelligence data training that will likely be HIPAA compliant and adhere to all security requirements.

Market Drivers

• Generation of Massive Data Via Advanced Technologies

The main advantage of employing annotation tools is that the combination of data attributes allows users to manage data definition, eliminating the need to rewrite similar rules on numerous sites. The proliferation of enormous datasets and the rise of big data will almost certainly entail the usage of artificial intelligence technology in data annotation.

Massive data is generated by technologies like machine learning (ML), robotics, advanced predictive analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Data efficiency is becoming important as technology evolves, allowing for new economies, infrastructure, and business innovations. These elements have considerably aided the industry's expansion. Due to the increased scope of growth in data labeling, companies developing AI-enabled healthcare apps collaborate with data annotating companies to give the necessary sets of data to assist corporations in improving their deep learning and machine learning skills.

For example, Telus International, a supplier of digital IT technologies and customer experience, announced the acquisition of Lionbridge AI. This company provides annotation platform solutions for creating AI algorithms and training data that fuel machine learning in November 2020. Telus International's next-generation digital technology portfolio will be enhanced as a result of the acquisition, as well as its global reach.

Market Restraints

• Inaccuracy of Data Annotation Tools

The inconsistency of data annotation tools to deliver accurate results hampers the market's growth. An image is given, for example, maybe low pixel and contains several items, making labeling difficult. The market's key challenge is the inaccuracy of the data labeled quality. In some circumstances, manually labeled data may contain errors, and the period it takes to uncover these errors varies, adding to the overall expense of the process of annotation.

However, as efficient algorithms are devised, the precision of autonomous data annotating tools is improving, eventually eliminating the need for manual annotations and reducing tool prices.

Market Trends

• Growing Adoption of Data Annotation Tools By Corporations

The efficiency of automated data annotation tools and the rising use of cloud-based computing resources to annotate massive datasets contribute to market growth. Businesses' use of data annotation tools for their accuracy and for labeling large volumes of AI training data are two more important factors that can propel the industry forward in the near future.

For corporations managing the workforce and data has always been an issue. The adoption of data annotation tools helps corporations to solve these problems. Every data annotation tool, even those that lead with an AI-based automation capability, is designed to be used by a human workforce. As a result, top systems will include workforce management features like task assignment and productivity analytics, which track how much time is spent on each task or subtask.

Data labeling labor providers may bring their technology to examine quality work data. They might employ cameras, screenshots, inactivity timers, and clickstream data to figure out how they might help workers offer high-quality data annotation.

Annotation starts with a complete approach to managing the datasets businesses intend to annotate. Corporations must guarantee that the solution they are evaluating will import and support the high amount of data and file types they need to label as a crucial element of their workflow. This includes dataset searches, filters, sorting, cloning, and merging.

Additionally, the growing demand for annotated data to improve machine learning models and increased investments in autonomous driving technology improvements is expected to boost the market.

Regional Analysis

The global data annotation tools market share has been segregated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. 

With a market value of USD 1,405 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 29%, Asia Pacific is expected to be the most significant data annotation tools market. Developing countries in the Asia Pacific have a lot of potential for data annotation tool adoption, especially in financial services and healthcare. The use of technology and creative healthcare access programs are driving the expansion of the Asia-Pacific’s healthcare sector. These variables are likely to increase the demand for image data annotation technologies over the forecast period in this region.

For example, in April 2021, Congenica Ltd, a developer of data analytics tools for annotating and dynamically evaluating genome sequencing data, partnered with Camtech Diagnostics, a microfluidics-focused software company based in the UK. Congenica's position in nations including Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore is projected to grow due to this endeavor.

North America is likely to be the second-largest data annotation tools market, with a market value of USD 1,392 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 25%. Canada and the United States are investing more in modern industrial technologies. Technological advancements have accelerated the introduction of the data annotation tools concept.

The North American health, industrial, and automotive industries are all seeing significant investment efforts expected to grow significantly. This is owing to market vendors' aggressive product and geographic expansion strategies to achieve a competitive advantage.

product and geographic expansion strategies to achieve a competitive advantage.

During the forecast period, it is predicted that Europe will exhibit a pattern of stagnant growth. Additionally, it is anticipated that the growing emphasis on image annotation will enhance the performance of the retail & automotive market in this area. The regional market's increasing need for data annotation tools is anticipated to be influenced by the growing popularity of AI technologies and their widespread implementation. The European region has a developed AI market, which has a direct positive impact on the demand for data annotation tools there. The need for diverse machine learning technologies is increasing in numerous countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.

Segmental Analysis

The global data annotation tools market share has been classified based on type, annotation type, vertical, and regions.

Based on type

The data annotation tools market has been segmented into audio, image/video, and text. The image/video type segment is likely to dominate the global market, and it is projected to reach USD 1,840 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 26% during the forecast period. The field of medical science, particularly in medical imaging, uses image data annotation extensively. 

By the first half of 2018

Overall startup investments in designing machine learning technologies based on medical pictures had reached USD 522 million. Arteries, Zebra Medical Vision, and Infervision are some of the most well-known startups in the data annotation business in the medical and healthcare sector.

Due to the increasing applications in e-commerce and clinical research, the text annotation market is anticipated to grow at a promising rate over the forecast period. The need to improve AI's ability to recognize patterns in the text, voices and semantic linkages of the annotated data will cause text annotation to dominate the global industry.

The market share of the audio category is anticipated to be moderate. For instance, Zoom, a video telephony program, announced the launch of numerous platform updates in April 2021. These updates included improved screen annotation, cutting-edge hardware for Zoom Rooms, expanded management capabilities for Zoom Chat, and improvements in user experience based on customer feedback. Thanks to these improved functionalities, users can now highlight text or objects without having to remove the highlighted annotations. The vanishing pen feature is a new pen tool that users can utilize to highlight text or objects.

The data annotation tools market has been segmented into automatic, semi-supervised, and manual, based on annotation type. The automatic annotation segment is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in the data annotation sector because it enables the extraction of sophisticated abstractions from datasets through a learning process with a hierarchy. The demand for automatic data annotation tools is likely to increase as the necessity of extracting, and mining patterns from extensive data grows.

The technique of marking or annotating any data by hand is known as manual data annotation. The method is well-liked because it offers advantages, including accuracy, high integrity, minimum data annotation work, and a better probability of finding fascinating data-related insights than automatic annotation, which may be included in an algorithm. Nevertheless, labeled data acquired through crowdsourcing activities are employed for a variety of applications because human annotation can be costly and time-consuming.

The data annotation tools market has been segmented into automotive, government, retail, IT, healthcare, financial services, and others based on vertical. The healthcare vertical segment is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. 

Artificial intelligence is frequently used for diagnostic automation, treatment prediction, gene sequencing, and medication discovery, among other medical and healthcare applications. Machine learning techniques must be used to train a set of information in the healthcare industry. The standard of the training heavily influences the accuracy and efficiency of the algorithm designed to construct applications based on artificial intelligence. Accessibility to reliable and high-quality sets of data is necessary for creating an effective AI-enabled healthcare product. As a result, data annotation tools urge the market forward by supplying artificial intelligence with learning information volumes.

Due to the widespread adoption of data annotation tools in self-driving cars, the automotive sector is predicted to develop at the fastest rate during the projected period. The market is expanding due to increased R&D spending aimed at enhancing picture annotation for advancing breakthroughs in the field of self-driving cars. For instance, TCS announced the release of an autoscape solution set for participants in the connected and autonomous car ecosystem in January 2021. It is made up of fleet owners, startups, OEMs, and suppliers for the automobile industry. The solution offers services such as petabyte data collecting and analysis, algorithm validation, and deployment that give practical guidance and control of autonomous vehicles in the actual world. It also handles technological and business difficulties. Additionally, it offers autonomous vehicle (AV) validation services and a data annotation studio.

Impact of covid-19

The COVID-19 pandemic lifted the global data annotation tools market significantly. During the COVID-19 period, demand for data annotation tools was expected to grow due to machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies. Growth in-text annotation for document classification has also been a key variable driving the market during the pandemic's onset.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning were likely to be heavily used in the healthcare sector to develop new technologies to combat coronaviruses. Additionally, initiatives such as preparing lung datasets to study the impact of the disease on the lungs are anticipated to augment the data annotation business, which began during the COVID era. On the contrary, a lack of experience and a qualified staff hampered the efficient execution of operations, which was likely to have affected the market.

Market Recovery Timeline and its Challenges

As the outbreak passes, the global market's recovery may be delayed by a shortage of skilled professionals and workers. However, factors such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence across many sectors and the collection of large amounts of data due to improved technology implementation will continue to drive the market further. As a result, the global data annotation tools market will quickly recover.

Recent Developments

• In November 2022, To create a speech-based healthcare FAQ bot for Sheng, a Nairobi slang language, Appen Limited (ASX: APX), the world leader in data for the AI Lifecycle, announced its collaboration with CLEAR Global, a nonprofit that helps people get essential information and be heard, regardless of the language they speak.
• In November 2022, the Launch of a Japan-based Team by Appen, a Leader in AI Development with World-Class Training Data, is Intended to Speed Up Growth in the Japanese Market.
• In December 2022, An open-source Kafka Connector for Pub/Sub and Pub/Sub Lite that is first-party supported by Google Cloud is now generally accessible. 
• In November 2022, To provide a platform for next-generation consumer data with an emphasis on privacy, security, and compliance, Zeotap teamed with Google Cloud.