Philosophy
The Chinese Room Argument Against Strong AI
Quick fact
The Chinese Room argument was proposed by philosopher John Searle in 1980 as a direct challenge to the 'strong AI' claim that a properly programmed computer can have a mind exactly like a human's.
Why this is interesting
Imagine you're in a room with a giant book of rules, and people outside slip you Chinese characters. You don't speak a word of Chinese, yet you can produce perfect replies. Do you 'understand' Chinese?