My first brush with artificial intelligence was during the 1970s. AI was in its infancy and mostly based upon deducing things from rules, such as “If a person has a headache, then give him Tylenol.” Software called MYCIN could diagnose bacterial infections. I suggested adapting this technology to the treatment of human poisoning and collaborated with the Maryland Poison Center. The software I developed was called The Interactive Poison Expert for Classification and Control (IPECAC). It was a fun project, but it really didn’t do very much except allow me to sit at the Poison Center and listen in on some interesting cases. (Q: “What should I do? My dog ate a whole jar of Tums!” A: “Take the dog out for Mexican food.”)