The truly tricky part? Mastering the artificial intelligence component. Our current AI systems operate within controlled, limited environments. On the other hand, the hosts on Westworld have mastered mimicking human intelligence and behavior in "the real world," as opposed to in a lab. They are be able to interact with every person they meet — i.e., understand and respond to the endless variety of human facial expressions, social norms, and nonverbal cues. Hosts can also adapt to situations they encounter by making choices on the fly. They aren't just spitting out preprogrammed lines or actions.

We all know how complicated human beings are. According to Motherboard, achieving AI like the kind on Westworld — where the robots are virtually indistinguishable from the humans — is likely 200 years away. Until then, we'll just enjoy poring over the fictional-but-could-totally-happen universe of Westworld.