“In 15 years time you could design a bacterium with the DNA in it to assemble circuits within its own cell,” says British Telecom futurist-in-residence Ian Pearson.

“Because it’s part of its DNA, it will be able to reproduce. So as long as you provide it with a food supply, this bacterium will become a quite large computer over a period of time. It will just breed….”

“We’re looking at the idea of making conscious computers, and it’s possible any time after 2015 that we could have computers as smart as human beings,” he says.