AI is explaining itself to humans. And it's paying off

FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed logo of Microsoft is seen in front of a displayed LinkedIn logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8% after arming its sales team with artificial intelligence software that not only predicts clients at risk of canceling, but also explains how it arrived at its conclusion.

The system, introduced last July and to be described in a LinkedIn blog post on Wednesday, marks a breakthrough in getting AI to "show its work" in a helpful way.