So while people will always try to build C-3PO-style machines that look and talk like us, the real advances will come in individual components we design to do one job well. Human intelligence arose from the unconscious co-operation of such systems to sustain the organism. Maybe if we get the constituent ‘smart’ parts right, a true AI system will spontaneously evolve — dare we say it — intelligently…

Those restrictions might make business sense, but consumers of internet services must find the constant apologies for content not available in their region a backwards step to say the least.

The device promised by the dotcom age, which we’d use for everything from watching TV, reading books and making phone calls to browsing the web, working and playing games is now a clich√©, both technology vendors and consumers now realising we want different experiences from different tools.