AI may not be a productivity revolution

There have been quite a few claims over the last five years that artificial intelligence (AI) will result in huge gains in productivity.   These huge gains don’t, though, seem to be arriving any time soon.

When one looks back at the claims, many have been put out by AI start up companies keen to laud AI and their product in particular. 

Very few of them, however, have hard data of productivity measurements to back up their claims. 

I would expect a start up to have confidence in its product but after a year or two in the marketplace, I would expect confident claims to be replaced by case examples with measured, preferably verified, data.

Until we see such case examples, we have to take the claims with a pinch of salt. We can hope for a productivity revolution, but should expect productivity evolution.