In "Artificial Intelligence – The Revolution Hasn't Happened Yet," University of California at Berkeley professor Michael I. Jordan injects such a note of caution. "The idea that our era is somehow seeing the emergence of an intelligence in silicon that rivals our own entertains all of us --enthralling us and frightening us in equal measure," he writes. "Whether or not we come to understand intelligence any time soon, we do have a major challenge on our hands in bringing together computers and humans in ways that enhance human life." Tools have played a critical role in the evolution of humans since our ancestors first developed stone tools a few million years ago. "We shape our tools and they in turn shape us," observed noted author and educator Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s.

The broad umbrella of artificial intelligence could spawn a new branch of engineering that will help develop of AI systems and applications, much as civil and mechanical engineering helped develop tall buildings and airplanes over a century ago.

Deep-learning software attempts to mimic human brain activity in the neocortex, where thinking occurs. The software learns to recognize patterns in digital representations of sounds, images, and other data. Ray Kurzweil wrote a definitive book "How to Create a Mind" through software techniques. The goal of deep learning is to recreate human intelligence at a machine level, hence, Artificial Intelligence. However, the outcome of such learning is predicated on how well the software is trained.

This is an actual rule. In 2011, British photographer David Slater was photographing a troop of macaques when Naruto, a six-year-old, smiled into Slater's lens, pressed the shutter button, and captured this toothy selfie: The lawsuit seeks to establish that Naruto should own his selfie, just as any human being owns a selfie they take. After going viral and popping social media metrics rivaling Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar-selfie, the photo was posted on Wikipedia. Slater fired off a cease-and-desist letter, but Wikipedia refused to take down the photo because a monkey, not a human, created it. PETA jumped into the fray and sued Slater to establish Naruto's ownership of his selfie.

This is an actual rule. In 2011, British photographer David Slater was photographing a troop of macaques when Naruto, a six-year-old, smiled into Slater's lens, pressed the shutter button, and captured this toothy selfie: After going viral and popping social media metrics rivaling Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar-selfie, the photo was posted on Wikipedia. Slater fired off a cease-and-desist letter, but Wikipedia refused to take down the photo because a monkey, not a human, created it. PETA jumped into the fray and sued Slater to establish Naruto's ownership of his selfie. A recent settlement – in which Slater will donate a portion of future royalties to conservation charities – mooted the Ninth Circuit appeal.

Deep-learning software attempts to mimic human brain activity in the neocortex, where thinking occurs. The software learns to recognize patterns in digital representations of sounds, images, and other data. Ray Kurzweil wrote a definitive book "How to Create a Mind" through software techniques. The goal of deep learning is to to recreate human intelligence at a machine level, hence, Artificial Intelligence. However, the outcome of such learning is predicated on how well the software is trained.

"How long would you say that's been going on?" You think back: a few weeks, maybe longer? "Is it worse at certain times of day?" Tough to say – it comes and goes. She asks more questions before prodding you, listening to your heart, shining a light in your eyes. Minutes later, you have a diagnosis and a prescription.

Artificial intelligence (AI) helps machines do cognitive tasks typically reserved for humans. It has the potential to enable marketers to create content at scale and distribute the right content at the right time to better-segmented prospects. But, it's not always obvious how marketers, executives and entrepreneurs can take advantage of AI. Artificial intelligence is a broad term that encompasses many different technologies and processes, such as machine learning, deep learning, image recognition and natural language processing. With so many terms, plus the pace at which AI is advancing, it can be a bit overwhelming, but forward-thinking businesses are using AI to gain a serious competitive advantage in their markets.