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TO GO WITH AFP STORY US-TECHNOLOGY-IMFORMATION This image obtained August 18, 2011 courtesy of IBM shows a Cognitive Computing Chip. IBM researchers on August 18, 2011 unveiled a new generation of experimental computer chips designed to emulate the brainâ s abilities for perception, action and cognition. The technology could yield many orders of magnitude less power consumption and space than used in todayâ s computers. AFP PHOTO/IBM/HANDOUT/RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS/NO SALES (Photo credit should read HO/AFP/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Computers, like humans, can learn. But when Google (GOOG) tries to fill in your search box based only on a few keystrokes, or your iPhone predicts words as you type a text message, it's only a narrow mimicry of what the human brain is capable.

The challenge in training a computer to behave like a human brain is technological and physiological, testing the limits of computer and brain science. But IBM researchers say they've made a key step toward combining the two worlds.







Technologists have long imagined computers that learn like humans. Your iPhone or Google's servers can be programmed to predict certain behavior based on past events. But the techniques being explored by IBM and other companies and research labs around "cognitive computing" could lead to chips that are better able to adapt to unexpected information.


