AI's backers are touting lofty visions for how the technology can change our lives for the better — claiming it will cure cancer, solve climate change and make us all rich.

Why it matters: The hype sounds outlandish, but it will need to deliver. • U.S. companies are pouring staggering amounts of money, talent and attention into AI, inflating a massive bubble. • If AI falls well short of its promise, a crash could ripple across global financial markets, governments and society.

You can see the hype in investments, infrastructure and market moves. • Tech giants are offering 9-figure pay packages to elite AI researchers. • The technology is guzzling energy. AI alone could soon consume as much electricity as 22% of all U.S. households, MIT Technology Review reports. • AI data cente

See Full Page