How long until computers can actually reason, adapt, think, problem solve, tell stories, and understand and produce humor? These are your concerns which computer scientists implementing cognitive computing programming and theory are asking themselves today. When does a machine, or laptop or computer become aware, aware of itself, thus alive, and thinking?
Much of this is philosophical, a case in point that some wonder backwards, that is to say; are humans really thinking or merely responding to stimuli really predictable way?
Recently, there were some top scientists and computer engineers inside the field suggesting that mankind in the look for a thinking computer, true intelligence, has moved in the wrong direction, and that a neural network, which will certainly be a different configuration will be more appropriate, something not too dissimilar from the way the Internet works where each point might do many calculations or differing types.
Then there's another group insisting that true artificial intelligence needs the ability to forget to be able to work properly in order that it doesn't exhibit schizophrenic behavior (that is observed by the way), along with the capacity to make mistakes.
Simply mimicking human expression, or responding using data bases of phrases isn't thinking. Even CRM software which touts itself to be artificially intelligent driven isn't really aware, it isn't really thinking, and although it could pass the Turing Test; to be able to fool a person into believing it is a real person they are talking too. Nevertheless, I'd advise a true thinking computer can look at the reverse, and realize whether or not it is speaking with a true human or speaking with another computer.
Perhaps in the future all of the lines will become so blurred as to make Turing Test irrelevant?
Indeed, there were entire chains of AI computers which speak to one another in Internet Forums. It appears as if this is a conversation between two different people, however the dialogue is very shallow, and no original thinking really, however some in the responses are interesting, some laughable, but humans too make stupid remarks often enough the other only needs to surf Facebook for 5-minutes to view that.
Will computers be capable to think? Well, assuming you mean; just how humans think, the answer then is yes, eventually.
Currently, it appears the Turing Test continues to be achieved, however ask would be that the real test or threshold you should be considering. The first choice for thought not simply will AI become aware, but it will out think humans by combining the best of all possible worlds, likewise modified humans, "transhumans" if you will, coupled to computer devices can do the same, which my girlfriends is just a couple of time. So, please consider this all and think about it.