The year 2020 may have been one of turmoil and uncertainty across the globe, but artificial intelligence remained on a steady course of growth and further exploration -- perhaps because of the Covid-19 crisis. Healthcare was a big area for AI investment, and concerns about diversity and ethics grew -- but little action has been taken. Most surprisingly of all, while AI job growth accelerated across the world, it flattened in the US.

airport-chicago-ohare-cropped-nov-2015-photo-by-joe-mckendrick.jpg Photo: Joe McKendrick These are among the key metrics of AI tracked in the latest release of the AI Index, an annual data update from Stanford University's Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute. The index tracks AI growth across a range of metrics, from degree programs to industry adoption.

+INFO: ZDnet