I was meeting with the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce's Communications Committee; there was some brainstorming about session ideas for the upcoming Chamber Conference. There were some thoughts thrown out, and quite a few comments were made. Then someone said, "how about automation and artificial intelligence." Suddenly, a surge of ideas and thoughts hit the room like a vicious uppercut from Mike Tyson circa 1999. All industries went into the mix: retail, auto, construction, medical and legal.

I made a strategic decision Sunday -- to sit out the second round of presidential debates. Instead, I enjoyed a fascinating expose on artificial intelligence (AI) on "60 Minutes." We all have pre-conceived notions about AI. Stephen Hawking has said when machines are smarter than us, it will bring about the end of the world. Specifically, "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." Most of us are familiar with the fictitious Terminator film and television franchise, unfolding the saga of John Conner versus Skynet, which follows Hawking's thinking.