The future of machine intelligence

Machine intelligence has been the subject of both exuberance and skepticism for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, Marvin Minksy, John McCarthy and other key pioneers in the field set the stage for today's breakthroughs in theory, as well as practice. Peeking behind the equations and code that animate these peculiar machines, we find ourselves facing questions about the very nature of thought and knowledge. The mathematical and technical virtuosity of achievements in this field evoke the qualities that make us human: Everything from intuition and attention to planning and memory. As progress in the field accelerates, such questions only gain urgency.