AI's dueling definitions

Editor's note: this post is part of our Intelligence Matters investigation. Let me start with a secret: I feel self-conscious when I use the terms "AI" and "artificial intelligence." Sometimes, I'm downright embarrassed by them. Before I get into why, though, answer this question: what pops into your head when you hear the phrase artificial intelligence? For the layperson, AI might still conjure HAL's unblinking red eye, and all the misfortune that ensued when he became so tragically confused. Others jump to the replicants of Blade Runner or more recent movie robots.