Tristan Glatard, co-director of Applied AI Institute at Concordia University (left) and Fenwick McKelvey, co-director of Applied AI Institute at Concordia University (right).Supplied It wasn't long ago when, for the average person, the words "artificial intelligence" conjured up visions of futuristic fiction – the androids of Blade Runner, say, or Steven Spielberg's A.I. In fact, artificial intelligence is very much here-and-now, and not only with a human façade (think of virtual assistants Siri and Alexa, those smartphone genies ready to do our bidding), but in a myriad of forms. From Google searches to medical diagnoses, Netflix's personalized "Top Picks" to self-driving cars, AI technology has become pervasive. It's predicted that the AI market will contribute as much as $15.7-trillion per year to the global economy by the end of this decade. Its applications will be increasingly integrated into our lives and play a role in shaping our society.