We talk of "smart networks" and "independently thinking computers" as though they have already arrived. Yet network hubs that have the subtlety to make decisions the way people can are still some way off. It has taken computer scientists much longer than they anticipated to create a machine that can pass the test devised by mathematician Alan Turing more than a half-century ago. Often, the challenge is still to get the networks to function together. Still, that time may finally be approaching. This report from Red Orbit presents some developments in computer technology and software that begin to approach true "artificial intelligence".