Google chief funds new machine-learning effort at Princeton's IAS

A $2 million donation will launch new research at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton to forge an understanding of how machine learning evolves. Machine learning -- sometimes called the leading edge of artificial intelligence -- is the rapidly developing computer technology behind self-driving cars, complex web searches, medical and science applications, and face and speech recognition. Machine-learning programs synthesize knowledge in a way that's analogous to how children learn. The programs take examples, generalize, and then develop rules and understanding about the world without being taught directly. With time, the programs become better at particular tasks.