We are in the midst of an artificial intelligence boom. Widely
considered the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI is rapidly
advancing computer technology from automated to autonomous.
Due to low-cost, high-capacity storage and computing power
combined with the ubiquity of sensors capturing data of all types,
companies are adding AI features to existing products and creating
entirely new product offerings based in AI. "Big data"
has created both the availability of robust training sets used to
develop AI technology, and a need for technology that can process
and filter large volumes of data for business applications.
The value and investments associated with the development of AI
are trending upward. A recent McKinsey Global Institute paper
estimates that AI can potentially create between $3.5 trillion and
$5.8 trillion in value annually spanning nine business functions in
19 industries. Forbes calculates that there is already a 70 percent
growth in business value in
