What happens when AI scientists develop the 'master algorithm'? A long-read Q&A with Pedro Domingos - AEI

Machine learning is something new under the sun: a technology that builds itself. Right now we have limited algorithms with limited potential, but, if it exists, the Master Algorithm could derive all knowledge in the world from data. Inventing it would be one of the greatest advances in the history of science, speeding up the progress of knowledge across the board and changing the world in ways we can barely even begin to imagine. So says Pedro Domingos, professor of computer science at the University of Washington and author of the book "The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World." He joined the podcast to discuss his book and the possible utopian and dystopian futures of AI. Below is a lightly-edited transcript of our conversation. You can also subscribe to my podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, or download the podcast here. JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: In the book you write, "Machine learning is something new under the sun, a technology that builds itself. And at its core, machine learning is about prediction: predicting what we want, the results of our actions, how to achieve our goals, how the world will change." Now, your book came out in 2015, and while it made the bookshelf of China's president in his New Year's address, I missed the book when it came out. The reason we are chatting today and I found out about the book was because Amazon recommended it to me. I had bought a previous book, called "Why Information Grows" by Cesar Hidalgo, who will also be a guest on an upcoming podcast, and when I bought that book it recommended your book as something I would also like. So, I bought it, and indeed I liked it very much. Now, for that recommendation I can thank machine learning, right? So machine learning tries to figure out what your tastes in books are, and clearly in this case it was a good call. So, for example, "Why Information Grows" -- by the way, I know Cesar well; he is a great guy -- is related to machine learning, so if you read that book you might like "The Master Algorithm" as well, and it seems that was a good call. Now, I suppose as a way of kind of explaining what machine learning is: How did that algorithm, Amazon, how did it do that?