Leslie Kaelbling, a leading professor of computer science at MIT and expert in reinforcement learning, discusses her journey in AI, sparked by 'Gödel, Escher, Bach.' She explores the connection between philosophy and computer science, and the cyclical evolution of artificial intelligence. The conversation dives into challenges in symbolic reasoning, the quest for optimal solutions in robotics, and the complexities of machine perception. Kaelbling also critiques academic publishing, advocating for open-access to enhance research in the rapidly changing landscape of AI.
