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There's no shortage of technology providers offering machine-learning solutions to age-old business problems. Now, as organizations in various industries continue hiring for tech-focused roles, 2018 may be the year machine learning truly takes off.

Among the roles increasingly sought out by businesses is that of the data scientist. As reported by Forbes in spring 2017, an IBM study found that by 2020, there will be nearly 62,000 jobs for data scientists and similar positions in the U.S. And according to Andy Abbott, chief technology officer and co-founder of contract review technology company Heretik, these scientists will undertake more research in 2018 so that companies remain competitive.

“This past year we have seen a significant influx in attention on machine learning and data science overall,” Abbott told Legaltech News, leading to increased focus among companies, many of which, he says, are now hiring their first data scientists.