Something happened a few minutes ago which made me feel very out of date. My PA Dom has an Ipad, and he was using an AI function on it to ask it about coffee. He was just kidding around, but what made my jaw literally drop was the way in which Dom was able to have quite a natural conversation with it: The machine seemed to be talking back to him, thinking, hesitating, considering it’s answers, switching between Polish and English on request.

I must admit to being rather behind the times on this. AI isn’t something I use much. I tap the occasional question into Google, but because I don’t speak clearly, I have never had the kind of conversation with my Ipad which Dom seemed to be enjoying. It thus amazed me how responsive it was, and how lifelike – you could have thought it was a real person talking back to my friend. Just how advanced are these systems becoming? As enthusiastic for new technology as I usually am, what I saw earlier was so astonishing that it made me feel rather behind the times.