As companies migrate to and run operations in the cloud, leaders are looking to the next horizon: innovating from the cloud with artificial intelligence (AI).

Cloud is the underlying platform with the data storage capacity and massive processing capability that will help enable AI innovation at the speed demanded. Companies are already starting to integrate a variety of AI-driven technologies across voice, vision, language and machine learning in order to transform their businesses. Accenture research shows that 85 percent of business and IT executives anticipate making extensive investments in one or more AI-related technologies over the next three years.

In fact, AI both simplifies and improves peoples’ experiences with technology. Case in point: AI is making technology easier to use through more natural interfaces like conversation. People now commonly use their voice to ask mobile phones for directions and reminders. We are starting to drive vehicles that act and react to our instructions. And we will increasingly talk to in-home devices to complete tasks, whether it’s turning on lights, cuing a favorite playlist, paying the monthly bills or hundreds of other skills.