Building a chatbot that's smarter than a fifth grader

Humans have been interested in building intelligent computer systems since the beginning of computing technology. There's something both interesting and strange about mimicking the function of a human brain that we feel the need to explore -- how crazy is it to build a machine that can beat out the human brain in a game of chess? Of course, as applied to today's chatbots, artificial intelligence is still in its infancy. But don't take that the wrong way: Today's bots can still offer a great deal of utility for businesses and consumers. Messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and Kik are making it easier than ever for brands and businesses to have a presence where millions of users are already spending time.