In the coming years, many companies like DeepMind and OpenAI hope to solve general artificial intelligence, which is a term for an AI that can learn and perform any task put in front of it. This breakthrough is likely still years in the future, but it has the potential to revolutionize how human beings interact with technology, the job market, and society in general.
In the shorter term, machine learning has practical business applications like analyzing large volumes of data, powering self-driving vehicles, and assisting medical diagnoses. As AI research advances, the number of tasks it can perform will only increase. Companies are already desperate for AI experts and aggressively hiring those with expertise in the field.