"Finding your soul begins by discovering our ability to listen! Alternatively, by sharing a smile, a ..." — Om Malik

A lot of what people are calling 'artificial intelligence' is really data analytics - in other words, business as usual. If the hype leaves you asking 'What is A.I., really?,' don't worry, you're not alone.

For the longest time, computers have been associated with work. Mainframes were for the Army, government agencies, and then large companies. Workstations were for engineers and software programmers. PCs were initially for other white-collar jobs.

Computers in general, and software in particular, are much more difficult than other kinds of technology for most people to grok, and they overwhelm us with a sense of mystery.

In a way, digital cameras were like very early personal computers such as the Commodore 64 - clunky and able to do only a few things.