An electronic advisor/companion: Computers able to function as personal consultants require breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence

Some people are going through life with an electronic “companion.” No bigger than a portable radio, it “grows up” with a person, learns his or her habits and personality traits, picks up knowledge of the person's business affairs, and learns enough law, medicine, and finance to render simple advice in these areas. Expert consultant systems like these are being used by pace-setting physicians, scientists, and lawyers in the 1990s.