Million-dollar babies
As Silicon Valley fights for talent, universities struggle to hold on to their stars
THAT a computer program can repeatedly beat the world champion at Go, a complex board game, is a coup for the fast-moving field of artificial intelligence (AI). Another high-stakes game, however, is taking place behind the scenes, as firms compete to hire the smartest AI experts. Technology giants, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Baidu, are racing to expand their AI activities. Last year they spent some $8.5 billion on deals, says Quid, a data firm. That was four times more than in 2010.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Million-dollar babies”
From the April 2nd 2016 edition
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