

68 | Melanie Mitchell on Artificial Intelligence and the Challenge of Common Sense
Oct 14, 2019
In this engaging discussion, Melanie Mitchell, a computer scientist and complexity researcher, delves into the perplexities of artificial intelligence, highlighting its struggles with common sense. She explores why AI excels in games but falters in real-world tasks, like driving. The conversation touches on the challenges of teaching AI fundamental concepts such as causality and object permanence and debates the contrasting methods of rule-based versus deep learning systems. Additionally, ethical concerns surrounding AI, including biases and societal impacts, are thoughtfully examined.
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Hofstadter's AI Concerns
- Douglas Hofstadter, Melanie Mitchell's PhD advisor, visited Google and expressed his fear of AI.
- He feared that AI's "cheap tricks" would trivialize human profundity, exemplified by Chopin's music being replicated by AI.
EMI Mimicking Chopin
- David Cope's program, EMI, composed music mimicking Chopin, fooling music experts.
- This fueled Hofstadter's fear and Mitchell's exploration into the true state of AI.
Exponential Curve Limitations
- Exponential curves are rare in nature; many initially appear exponential but then plateau.
- Don't rely solely on curve fitting for AI predictions.