Why "AI" is more than just a buzzword

The more time I spend engaging with entrepreneurs, investors, and analysts about the startup ecosystem, the more I hear the same old, cliché set of ideas and predictions repeated ad nauseam. One more interesting prediction I've heard, though, relates to artificial intelligence. Specifically, a lot of folks are under the impression that AI is just a buzzword, a sticker placed by founders on their companies to give them some measure of differentiation and hype. Here are the general arguments I've heard from people skeptical about the latest wave of AI startup activity: I get the impression that many of these theorists are working backwards, presupposing that AI is doomed to failure and then looking for reasons why. Argument: Current applications of AI don't live up to expectations.