How AI took center stage at CES 2017

CES 2017 was set to be the biggest so far, with more exhibitors, products, and visitors than ever before in its 50 year history. But one signal sparked my interest above everything else: increasing focus on how technology brings value over technology per se. It was hard to find anything not labeled "smart" or "intelligent" this year. While just a year ago AI seemed futuristic, people now expect it … and expect it to work straight out of the box. This is because we've reached sufficient maturity in what I call the 4Cs of useful AI: computing, connectivity, cognition, and convergence.