AI is a glorified term for digital systems; in that light it's increasingly pervasive. At one point I worked on manufacturing of vehicle ignition computers: the one and only computer in a major manufacturer's vehicle so difficult to produce that one model was deployed to a broad range of vehicles. The why was to address a variety of issues that simple electro-mechanical systems could not such as emissions, fuel economy, cold starting, knocking, vapor lock, etc. Today vehicles are a maze of digital controllers and networks addressing all manner of safety and performance issues as well as complex entertainment, communication and navigation functions. However, intelligent systems increasingly play a role in energy efficiency and productivity solutions of all kinds.

In January 2018, both Microsoft's and Alibaba's deep-learning software did better than humans on reading and comprehension tests, opening the door to artificial intelligence–based customer service, medical diagnoses, and many other applications.

In January 2018, both Microsoft's and Alibaba's deep-learning software did better than humans on reading and comprehension tests, opening the door to artificial intelligence (AI) based customer service, medical inquiries, and many other applications.