To many, artificial intelligence (AI) presents an almost endless sea of opportunity. But if AI scares you, you're not alone. As consumers, as employers, and simply as people, the concept of replacing humans with robots in any capacity can feel uncomfortable. Steven Spielberg signed all of us up for some deep soul-searching in 2001's AI. The film questions just what distinguishes humans from machines and if we can ever bridge that gap.

Ever since research scientists coined the term'artificial intelligence' more than sixty years ago, the idea of a self-thinking computer has occupied a special place in the public consciousness. But now companies seem to have come around to the idea that, with enough technology and talent, A.I. can become an actual product. Those firms include Google, IBM, Apple, Facebook, and Infosys. And they're all fishing in the same talent pool for technology professionals who can build a workable A.I. platform. Such an unusual endeavor demands unusual skill-sets, making it difficult to land the right candidates for the job. A.I. programmers have to come from somewhere.

In 2009, Abdul Razack, head of big data and analytics at Infosys, was watching the men's singles French Open tennis final when something happened that he said has stuck with him ever since. See how the cloud is disrupting traditional operating models for IT departments and entire organizations. Sweden's Robin Söderling had beaten four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, and went on to cement his position in the final, where he faced Roger Federer. "Federer was down two sets -- down 0-30 -- and at that point he turned the entire match around," Razack said. "As a fan, that's the story that has stuck in my mind -- for someone to be able to go back and relive that match with the data that was captured in the umpire's chair, it's a powerful thing to do and improves the experience of the consumer, the media, opponents, and it's all around better for the game."

If you've ever left a poker table penniless, you definitely don't want to go up against Libratus. Built by a computer science professor and a graduate student, the artificial intelligence system is handily beating pro poker players in a Texas hold'em tournament in Pittsburgh. Two weeks into the 20-day heads up (or one-on-one), no-limit tournament, Libratus is up by more than a million dollars on its human counterparts. The A.I. system was designed by Tuomas Sandholm, a professor at Carnegie Mellon, and his student, Noam Brown. A.I. systems have already wiped the floor with humans at a number of games.

Ever since research scientists coined the term'artificial intelligence' more than sixty years ago, the idea of a self-thinking computer has occupied a special place in the public consciousness. But now companies seem to have come around to the idea that, with enough technology and talent, A.I. can become an actual product. Those firms include Google, IBM, Apple, Facebook, and Infosys. And they're all fishing in the same talent pool for technology professionals who can build a workable A.I. platform. Such an unusual endeavor demands unusual skill-sets, making it difficult to land the right candidates for the job. A.I. programmers have to come from somewhere.