Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives, both in the workplace and at home. Some AI experts are stressing the need to focus on making AI ethical and keeping it human friendly. Bias in programming, security concerns, and a lack of public knowledge about how AI works are all issues that need to be addressed to develop and maintain a healthy relationship between humans and the technology we use. "This is the year AI ethics become absolutely mandatory functions in most businesses, not just talk," Alex Spinelli, chief technology officer at LivePerson and former global head of Alexa OS for Amazon, told Hypergrid Business. Companies are just starting to consider responsible use of AI as a part of their business model.

This year, self-driving cars started getting pretty good. Deep fakes video started getting pretty convincing. Our virtual assistants got to the point where they could understand us well enough to do some simple things, like tell us the weather or get driving directions home. When it comes to artificial intelligence, we have reached an inflection point. The technology is good enough to use. Next year promises to be a breakout year for AI, as it starts to permeate all aspects of our lives. Here are predictions for 2020 from some of the world's top AI experts. Jen Snell is VP of product marketing at Verint, where she leads a product strategy team focused on intelligent self-service, conversational AI, automation, and analytics. She is a frequent speaker and a leading contributor on topics shaping the development and design of interactive technologies. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferLSnell and on LinkedIn.