Is "Deep Learning" a Revolution in Artificial Intelligence?

Can a new technique known as deep learning revolutionize artificial intelligence, as yesterday's front-page article at the New York Times suggests? There is good reason to be excited about deep learning, a sophisticated "machine learning" algorithm that far exceeds many of its predecessors in its abilities to recognize syllables and images. But there's also good reason to be skeptical. While the Times reports that "advances in an artificial intelligence technology that can recognize patterns offer the possibility of machines that perform human activities like seeing, listening and thinking," deep learning takes us, at best, only a small step toward the creation of truly intelligent machines. Deep learning is important work, with immediate practical applications.