Verizon Sees AI as ‘Next Growth Machine’ for Internet Demand

Over the past five years, virtually all of the growth on Verizon Communications Inc.’s network could be traced back to people watching and streaming videos, the chief of the wireless carrier’s consumer division said.

That’s about to change: While video traffic growth may soon plateau, Verizon Consumer Chief Executive Officer Sowmyanarayan Sampath said, demand tied to artificial intelligence tools is picking up and is set to more than double the company’s network over the next five years.

AI “is the next growth machine for us” because it creates mountains of data that will need to be carried, for example, ...