That was the question posed by artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Professor May-Anne Williams on Wednesday in a presentation at the University of Technology in Sydney.

Professor Williams said the quest for AI is revealing much about how the human mind works and is opening the path to a new technological age.

A world leader in AI research with more than 100 publications in the field, Professor Williams surveyed which scientific breakthroughs remain to create truly intelligent technology.

As the director of the innovation and technology research laboratory in the faculty of IT, Williams said the quest for AI is now in its 50th year.

"The potential benefits are profound and already leading to stunning improvements in many human endeavours," she said.