Google's latest platform play is artificial intelligence, and it's already winning

Google has always used its annual I/O conference to connect to developers in its sprawling empire. It announces new tools and initiatives, sprinkles in a little hype, and then tells those watching: choose us, and together we'll go far. But while in previous years this message has been directed at coders working with Android and Chrome -- the world's biggest mobile OS and web browser respectively -- yesterday, CEO Sundar Pichai made it clear that the next platform the company wants to dominate could be even bigger: artificial intelligence. For Google, this doesn't just mean using AI to improve its own products. The company wants individuals and small companies around the world to also get on board.