Google has more than 1,000 artificial intelligence projects in the works

Google's slew of big announcements in recent weeks -- unveiling Google Translate's neat new machine learning tricks, its voice-controlled speaker system Home, and its new smartphone line Pixel (itself equipped with the futuristic-feeling virtual Assistant) -- are evidence enough that the tech giant is investing heavily in artificial intelligence. But this Fortune story suggests that's just the tip of the iceberg: Google has dramatically ramped up its investments in what's known as "deep learning" in the last four years. In 2012, Google had two deep-learning projects underway. Today, Google has more than 1,000 deep-learning projects in every major product category, including search, maps, translation, and self-driving cars. Deep learning refers to a kind of AI that enables software to train itself to perform tasks, like speech and image recognition.