In the last two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has started to become a mainstream topic, but core aspects of AI, like machine learning and data science, have been around for quite some time, so the technology has had plenty of time to impact the industry already. According to a study by Tata Consultancy Services, more than 90% of companies in the energy, high tech, telecom, retail, and automotive industries use AI today. The company researched 13 industries globally and found that more than 80% of companies use AI in some capacity. "Beyond the IT function, artificial intelligence is most often used in customer service, sales, marketing, and finance," states the report. "In energy, 100% of companies use AI – the only industry in which every company is using it. Of the companies that don't use AI today, all expect to by 2020."