Move Fast and Break Trust

There are, of course, key differences in these two examples, including the nature of the input data, the programming techniques required to process and parse that data, and the mechanisms for user feedback. But the point is that consumer technologies powered by artificial intelligence differ in an important way from other types of consumer technologies. Rather than performing a set function in a rote manner, like a toaster or a washing machine, the software makes decisions in the face of novel problems by applying answers that have worked in similar situations in the past. In a manner of speaking, then, it learns by doing. And when the desired output is sufficiently complex or abstract--safely driving a car, for instance, or giving true answers to questions about the world--it often takes a lot of doing for the software to get really good.