Humans are used to being outdone by computers when it comes to recalling facts, but they still have the upper hand in an argument. For now.
It has long been the case that machines can beat us in games of strategy like chess.
And we have come to accept that artificial intelligence is best at analysing huge amounts of data - sifting through the supermarket receipts of millions of shoppers to work out who might be tempted by some vouchers for washing powder.
But what if AI were able to handle the most human of tasks - navigating the minefield of subtle nuance, rhetoric and even emotions to take us on in an argument?
It is a possibility that could help humans make better decisions and one which growing numbers of researchers are working on.