Xconomy: A Glimpse of A.I.'s Future? MIT-IBM Research Lab Sees Early Progress

The capabilities of artificial intelligence technologies have increased significantly in the past decade, but there's a growing sense that new breakthroughs are needed for the field to continue delivering on its promise. David Cox and his colleagues have dedicated themselves to identifying and breaking down "the fundamental core barriers" to advancing A.I., he says. In February 2018, IBM (NYSE: IBM) hired Cox--then a Harvard University associate professor--to direct its efforts in a new, joint A.I. research lab with MIT. For its part, IBM is investing $240 million over 10 years into the "MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab." Xconomy recently checked in with Cox (pictured above) to see how the first year went. That's not a lot of time, especially considering the lab's ambitious goals, but Cox sounds happy with the progress made thus far.