Sprawling CES gadgetfest a world stage for AI and its hype

Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Science fiction portrays AI as superintelligence that can operate faster and better than people can, and do it autonomously.

However, the technology for now is being put to work at very specialized tasks — in gadgets that translate languages during conversations, say, or monitor health symptoms, or provide information on people’s surroundings through smart glasses.