Can a mere machine be intelligent?

We all know the movie plot, evil robots and computers taking over the world, but what is the reality? Here we look at artificial intelligence research, the field of science that tries to build 'thinking machines'. How are they built? What can they do? And, as importantly, what can't they do? We will also ask some interesting questions about a particularly well-known 'thinking machine', you!

There are two main ways AI researchers have tried to build 'intelligent' machines. The first is to look at all the things we humans can do, and write programs that can do them too.

The second way involves talking to the psychologists and neuroscientists to work out how our brains do intelligent things. If we can do that then maybe we can build a machine that works in the same way.

Even if we can build one, will we ever be willing to accept a mere machine is truly as intelligent as us though? After all all they are doing is dumbly following rules!