I believe that the beautifully conceived -- and uttery fanciful HAL-9000 has fed suppositions and inane expectations more than any other identifiable symbol. Yeah! Let's Build One of Those.. [Hah]

The more I've talked with folks across (various fancy-named) disciplines having to do with, "how we learn" -- the less prospect I can see for machine-creations in anything 'like' Our Likeness. The incomprehensibly massive reorganization of the neurons in the infant's brain, over weeks -->> months (let alone years) post-partum is simpy a Wonder! inexpressible no matter how artfully crafted be the pseudo-scientific natterings about 'understanding' !! this Wonder.

And were the above comprehension much more realizable than I believe is possible - any idea of ethical er engrams? of the I, Robot variety; anything as addresses such a concept as 'a machine's attitude!' -- whether towards work? or Boss!! == floobydust of the same granularity IMhO.
We can 'say' it - but lots of people talk to God, and think She talks back, too.

Even with threading, insofar as machine coding might go - add in neural-network pattern recognition theories: humans still think serially, ploddingly About-'thinking'! relying upon some massive parallelism magically just sorta sufficing. If we just wish hard enough.

Natch I Don't Know what breakthroughs may occur in modelling this Wonder; what I think I know today is: we are nowhere Near creating a robot capable of a shadow of the learning-curve of a human or Bonobo or __ or Any Live Humanoid Animal.

(Besides... the $$ today is in multi-channel theatre sound + video! in your new Urban Assault Vehicle: that's where bizness is ever magnetically-drawn - the max-costly toys as might soon have a hook in the mass mind. Never mind the heaped dead bodies as result from even more compelling driver distractions: we never have (minded))



Ashton
Worsening Dumbth doesn't seem to be a particularly nutritious medium, anyway - for any next massive breakthroughs..