Human beings are a wonderful species, indeed. We’ve got the ability to think critically in difficult situations, to be flexible in the face of great adversity and challenge, and to create systems that were previously unthinkable. Our brains seem to be nature’s ultimate machine, a unique network of neurons in a storm of electrical activity. This fantastic assemblage of complex components has been the sole occupant of the throne of “consciousness” (whatever that is) for thousands of years now. However, our tenure as the known universe’s only sentient beings may be coming to an end.

This concept was recently discussed in an article in The Atlantic. Written by Brian Christian, a bona-fide flesh-and-blood human (honest), it covers one of the oldest questions facing humanity: what makes us special?

At the heart of artificial intelligence lies the question of whether we might be able to create artificial systems that behave and compute in the same manner than human beings do. This would obviously be a mind-blowing breakthrough were it ever accomplished – it would give us new applications for computers, change the nature of work in our society, and force us to redefine the very nature of being human. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that such a feat has proven to be incredibly difficult to achieve. While it has grown in complexity and scope, artificial intelligence is still quite far from any kind of accurate human resemblance. However, this may change very soon.

Back in 2008, the world of electronics was abuzz with excitement over a new invention – the memristor. This is an electrical component that behaves very similarly to a resistor, but with one key difference. Memristors impede the flow of electricity, but the amount that they do so is dependent on the current that has passed through the memristor in the past. Now, this might not seem like such a big deal, but think about the implications. Essentially, such a piece of hardware has the ability to store some information about its previous input. It has the electrical equivalent of memory. With that in mind, let’s venture into the realm of cognitive science.

It would be an understatement to say that molecular machines have been under a tremendous amount of pressure lately. Proponents of nanotechnology have left them variously responsible for curing the world’s diseases, providing mankind with limitless food, water, energy and information, and even self-assembling so we don’t have to make them ourselves. And that’s only a partial list. Under the weight of such towering expectations, can we really blame them if they give up and turn the planet into grey goo?

Perhaps in an effort to save us from such an apocalyptic scenario, some nanoscientists have set more leisurely intermediate goals for molecular machines, like getting them to play games. A group of researchers from Columbia University recently developed a two-player strategy game between a human player and DNA-based molecular computer called “tit-for-tat”.