There was a lot of news related to artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning. Among the stories were two dealing with direct competitions between humans and machines.

In one competition, machines that used AI performed better than human beings in a high-level reading test. Two natural language processing tools beat humans in the experiment. One of the tools was built by the American technology company Microsoft. The other was created by Chinese online seller Alibaba Group.

In another competition, a computer took on humans in a live, public debate. The event demonstrated how AI-powered computers were increasingly being developed to think and sound like humans. The organizer of the debates, U.S. technology company IBM, announced split results. It said a majority of those who have watched the debate said they felt the machine had done more to improve their knowledge of the subject. But, the humans got more praise for communicating their ideas.