To AI or not to AI?

One of the big topics that was discussed in financial technology (fintech) circles at length in 2016 ― and will continue to be discussed at even greater length as we enter 2017 ― is artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning is emerging as the field within AI that is seeing the most amount of real-world applications and use cases among financial institutions, especially in the area of fraud. Take, for example, a historic event that unfolded in March 2016 that demonstrated the power of machine learning: the victory of program AlphaGo of Google DeepMind over professional gamer Lee Se-dol. This exciting technological breakthrough demonstrates how far AI has come, even in just the past year, and how it is now able to catch humans out. It's true, though, that the idea of computers learning autonomously has been around for decades.