Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

184 | Gary Marcus on Artificial Intelligence and Common Sense

Feb 14, 2022

In this engaging discussion, Gary Marcus, a cognitive scientist and AI researcher, explores the intricate limitations of artificial intelligence. He argues that while deep learning has made significant strides, it fails to achieve true common sense, which is essential for human-like understanding. Marcus advocates for blending traditional symbolic methods with modern AI techniques. The conversation also touches on the evolution of AI, the shortcomings of models like GPT-3, and the ethical considerations of programming AI with human values.

01:24:17

Episode guests

Gary Marcus

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Deep Learning hostility to Symbols

00:40

Douglas Lenat's Cyc did symbols applied to Shakespeare for comprehension

01:14

Grammar Syntax and Semantics

00:44

Deep Learning vs. Classic Symbol Manipulation in AI

02:05

Intro

4min

The Evolution and Challenges of AI

22min

Deep Learning's Triumphs and Trials

9min

The Limits of GPT-3: Understanding AI's Shortcomings

8min

Bridging Deep Learning and Symbolic Representation in AI

2min

Human vs. Machine Learning: A Comparative Study

6min

Navigating AI's Common Sense Dilemma

11min

Exploring AI: Learning from Evolution and Humanity

22min

Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us. Deep-learning algorithms are used to classify images, suggest songs to us, and even to drive cars. But the quest to build truly “human” artificial intelligence is still coming up short. Gary Marcus argues that this is not an accident: the features that make neural networks so powerful also prevent them from developing a robust common-sense view of the world. He advocates combining these techniques with a more symbolic approach to constructing AI algorithms.

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Gary Marcus received his Ph.D. in cognitive science from MIT. He is founder and CEO of Robust.AI, and was formerly a professor of psychology at NYU as well as founder of Geometric Intelligence. Among his books are Rebooting AI: Building Machines We Can Trust (with Ernest Davis).

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