Artificial Intelligence: Science Fiction or Reality?

When you hear the term "artificial intelligence", you probably think of the 2001 Spielberg film, the agents in The Matrix, or even time-traveling robots with Austrian accents and shotguns. The concept can be divided into two very broad meanings. The first is the blanket definition applied by those outside the fields of computer engineering and robotics, which includes a machine or program's ability to absorb data, take its meaning, and adjust its behavior according to ideal outcomes. The second definition, the one that really matters, is more scientific. "Intelligence" in the term has much deeper implications than absorbing information and changing behaviors.