So how smart are the best computers, compared to us?

I didn't realise this, but modern artificial intelligence systems have gotten to the point where you can have one sit a standard children's IQ test. While that's an achievement in itself, the results of testing a leading AI system, ConceptNet 4, show just how far AI's hove come - and just how far they still have to go.

According to the Terminator wiki the T-600 terminator also had the IQ of a small child - although ConceptNet hasn't shown a fondness for mini guns. As far as we've heard, anyway.

It turns out that ConceptNet 4 has the smarts of a four year old child -  but a four year old with some problems: “If a child had scores that varied this much, it might be a symptom that something was wrong,” said Robert Sloan, professor and head of computer science at UIC, and one of the study’s authors.

The AI brain did well on spotting likenesses in things, and on vocabulary. But it struggled when it came to basic understanding of why the world is the way it is - what humans would call 'common sense'.

Real AI's seldom look like metal skeletons - unless the designer has a lot of latitude and something sinister planned. In fact, being a computer program, ConceptNet 4 'looks' something like the odd collection of squares and lines above.

The most likely reason for this is that ConceptNet 4 lacks the real life, common, experiences that go towards a child developing common sense. It's never had to play ball with another AI, or work out how to get its tippy cup off the table - so it's never had to develop an idea of 'things fall down' for example..

In short, it seems that the next step for AI development might literally be 'get a life'.

“We’re still very far from programs with common sense." said Sloan.