Analysis-From Meta to Microsoft, AI's big moment is here

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

(Reuters) - Big Tech companies have a new obsession: artificial intelligence.

This week, chief executives across the sector packed earnings calls with mentions of the heavily hyped technology, which until recently existed more in the background than as a solid contributor to the bottom line.