LONDON, England - July 5, 2011 - It's a standard scenario across the world - the computer crashes and we scream exactly what we think at the flickering screen.
But we may soon have to learn to bite our tongues - or risk the wrath of being shouted at by the machine we've just cursed.
This is because scientists are building a voice-activated device that can interact with people in a “natural and intelligent way”.
Artificial intelligence will help it become familiar with a user's voice, with the ultimate goal that it can understand, speak and behave like a human.