Machine Learning Reimagines the Building Blocks of Computing

Like tiny gears inside a watch, algorithms execute well-defined tasks within more complicated programs. They're ubiquitous, and in part because of this, they've been painstakingly optimized over time. When a programmer needs to sort a list, for example, they'll reach for a standard "sort" algorithm that's been used for decades. Now researchers are taking a fresh look at traditional algorithms, using the branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning. Their approach, called algorithms with predictions, takes advantage of the insights machine learning tools can provide into the data that traditional algorithms handle.