Hopes and fears for AI: the experts' view

When we encounter artificial intelligence in the media, it's often discussed at extremes. At one end, there are films, books, games and even news commentary that paint a picture of a world-ending intelligence. At the other end, people picture algorithms so powerful they can solve every major problem facing mankind. In reality, the capabilities for AI lie somewhere in between. For example, some of Elsevier's products use machine-learning driven image identification to better diagnose life-threatening illnesses – but these are tools are designed to aid the deductive work of human experts, not replace them.