Despite the buzz, artificial intelligence (AI) appears to be not finding as much traction in businesses as we would expect. On the surface, it seems most companies do not understand the use cases that would lead them to invest heavily in AI. But the story is more complicated than it first appears.  

AI, as we define it, is not a single technology but several closely-grouped technologies that allow a system to absorb, analyze, and learn from data in order to make a recommendation or take an action. These technologies include rules-based reasoning, machine learning, speech recognition, natural language processing, facial/object recognition, and other capabilities. They are seldom deployed separately and are usually embedded as features or capabilities within business applications.

Some of these technologies are still searching for use cases. Outside of digital assistance and search, for example, natural language processing is not yet finding widespread business applications. But that may soon change, not just for natural language processing, but other AI capabilities as well.