Topcoder investing in AI, capitalizing on cloud

How do companies measure the ROI on artificial intelligence technology? AI technology typically replaces manual labor, said Mike Morris, CEO at Topcoder in Glastonbury, Conn., so one simple measurement of AI ROI is time. Whether the application of AI actually improves the employee or customer experience is tougher to ascertain. SearchCIO caught up with Morris at the recent MIT Sloan CIO Symposium and talked about how Topcoder -- a crowdsourcing platform that hosts application design, software development and data science competitions -- is investing in AI, how the cloud enabled the company's business model, and why speed is a vital component for any innovation strategy. Below are excerpts from the interview; click on the player to hear the interview in its entirety. Are you investing in AI at your company?