Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are grabbing headlines more frequently than ever. The most recent leap to make global headlines was Facebook's announcement of'automatic alternative text', where they are using AI to help blind people'see' Facebook. This is possible because of Facebook's object recognition technology, which is based on a neural network that has billions of parameters and is trained with millions of examples. Other artificial intelligence, designed to benefit humanity by surpassing our abilities in highly complex tasks – such as diagnosing illness, researching pharmaceuticals, managing power grids and protecting against cyber threats – could rely for its success on deep learning and the unpredictability that seems to be a necessary part of it. These breakthroughs in computer technology are rightfully earning the curiosity of marketers who are keen to understand how AI will revolutionise the way media is planned, bought and optimised to enhance the customer experience.