Is Machine Learning a Solution to All Problems?

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Hype has been a problem in AI since the very beginning of the field. We tend to give it more credit than it actually deserves for thinking or being intelligent, he says. People often anthropomorphize an artificial system like Siri and think that's how it should be perceived.

Computer Scientist and author Melanie Mitchell of Portland State University and the Santa Fe Institute talks about her book Artificial Intelligence with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Mitchell explains where we are today in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and where we might be going. Despite the hype and excitement surrounding AI, Mitchell argues that much of what is called "learning" and "intelligence" when done by machines is not analogous to human capabilities. The capabilities of machines are highly limited to explicit, narrow tasks with little transfer to similar but different challenges. Along the way, Mitchell explains some of the techniques used in AI and how progress has been made in many areas.