Mark v. Shaney is about how a computer can be programmed to think and talk like a human. Mark and Shaney are two computer programs that can communicate with each other. Mark takes a piece of text written by a human and comes up with a response that is similar to something a human would say. Shaney has the ability to answer questions that it is asked in a way that sounds like a human. It can remember conversations it has had before, adjust its answers based on what it has learned, and even make jokes. Both programs are examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is when computers are programmed to think and reason like humans.