IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said the company has been working on artificial technology, which she calls a cognitive system, since 2005 when it started developing its Watson supercomputer.
"I would say in five years, there's no doubt in my mind that cognitive AI will impact every decision made" from healthcare to education to financial services, Rometty said. But it was the comments by Tesla's Musk, on how he would potentially develop the technology to implant humans with technology to augment brains, that captured the imagination of attendees, according to Adam Burrows, senior vice president of emerging businesses at HomeAdvisor, a unit of IAC/Interactive Corp.
"It got people thinking on a philosophical level and away from what Google or Tesla will come out with next year," he said. "It brings up the question, are we human anymore if we are part computer?"