Google’s AI Hasn’t Passed Its Biggest Test Yet: Hunting Hate

An advertiser boycott of YouTube is testing a critical and much-hyped part of Google's future: its prowess in artificial intelligence. Some experts in the field say the technology isn't up to scratch yet, but that if any company can solve the problem at hand, it's the online search giant.

Some of the world's biggest marketers halted YouTube spending this month after ads from large brands were found running alongside hateful and extremist videos. Google parent Alphabet Inc. risks losing $750 million in revenue this year from the debacle, analysts at Nomura Instinet estimated this week. That's less than 1 percent of projected sales this year, so it can weather the financial storm. But it's likely an incentive for the company to re-direct AI investments and accelerate research efforts already underway.