The Promise of Artificial Intelligence Unfolds in Small Steps - The New York Times

From a big-picture AI reality check; also see Start-Up Lessons From the Once-Again Hot Field of A.I. (NYT)

"IBM’s early struggles with Watson point to the sobering fact that commercializing new technology, however promising, typically comes in short steps rather than giant leaps.

Despite IBM’s own challenges, Watson’s TV victory — five years ago this month — has helped fuel interest in A.I. from the public and the rest of the tech industry. Venture capital investors have poured money into A.I. start-ups, and large corporations like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple have been buying fledgling A.I. companies. That investment reached $8.5 billion last year, more than three and a half times the level in 2010, according to Quid, a data analysis firm."

The Promise of Artificial Intelligence Unfolds in Small Steps - The New York Times