Rewind a year, and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) was touting its mobile-first and cloud-first vision in its annual report. First spotted by CNBC, in its report to shareholders the Redmond, Wash., software giant named AI as a major focus, with CNBC counting six different references to the burgeoning technology compared to zero just a year ago. "Our strategic vision is to compete and grow by building best-in-class platforms and productivity services for an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge infused with AI," the company said in the annual report, which came out Wednesday. "We believe a new technology paradigm is emerging that manifests itself through an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge where computing is more distributed, AI drives insights and acts on the user's behalf, and user experiences span devices with a user's available data and information," the report went on to say. It's not surprising Microsoft is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to AI.