2 Megatrends Dominate the Gartner Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, 2020

Despite the global impact of COVID-19, 47% of artificial intelligence (AI) investments were unchanged since the start of the pandemic and 30% of organizations actually planned to increase such investments, according to a Gartner poll. Only 16% had temporarily suspended AI investments, and just 7% had decreased them. During the pandemic, for example, AI came to the rescue. Chatbots helped answer the flood of pandemic-related questions, computer vision helped maintain social distancing and machine learning (ML) models were indispensable for modeling the effects of reopening economies. "If AI as a general concept was positioned on this year's Gartner Hype Cycle, it would be rolling off the Peak of Inflated Expectations. By that we mean that AI is starting to deliver on its potential and its benefits for businesses are becoming a reality," says Svetlana Sicular, VP Analyst, Gartner.