How computers will think

Google and Facebook have an almost perfect log of your comings and goings and they can combine that information with artificial intelligence to predict things about you. The systems are big and sophisticated, but their capabilities are still a far cry from the friendly, charismatic Samantha in the movie Her or the devilish, horrifying HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. After all, no one wants a HAL taking us out.) But algorithms are slowly getting smarter. Computer scientists are programming systems that can teach themselves to play Atari games and poker, all on their own.