[electrondood]

> Linked to search engines, databases, and computational tools such as Wolfram Alpha, they acquire much more capability.

I see this as analogous to the human brain; there are different structures which are particularly good at specific tasks/functions. They all work together.

The only difference between a human brain and an ANN is a difference of degree. A neuron and an artificial neuron are functionally identical. I think as we start interconnecting these models we see surprising emergent properties.