Google's new AI is magic -- but raises a lot of questions

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," wrote sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke. This week in Silicon Valley, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) proved it. Several times during CEO Sundar Pichai's keynote presentation at the company's I/O developer conference, the audience of 7,000 gasped or burst into applause. That's because some of Google's massive investments in artificial intelligence are now paying off--in features that truly are magical. And in an absolutely mind-frying demonstration, Google Assistant booked a haircut appointment by placing a phone call to a human receptionist at the salon and having a conversation on your behalf, sounding indistinguishable from a real person.