Yep. As an IBMer (not working in a cognitive field), we started hearing the word "cognitive" a while ago and apparently it has caught on in the wider world. Now we're hearing clients asking for "cognitive" and the CTOs know the word, and all the trade magazines are going on about it.

It's not too different from "cloud" was when it launched. Sure, it's not anything more than a new approach to the same things we used to do, but with the marketing and the different mindset, we begin to see a shift in the IT landscape. Sure "cloud" just means "someone else's computer" but IT infrastructure looked a lot different before "cloud" really took off. Cognitive is supposed to be computers doing things they used to do, but in a more human-like fashion, taking human needs and wants into consideration.

If there's one thing IBM is assuredly good at, it's inventing new buzzwords.