A.I. Software Learns a Simple Task Like a Human

Three of the contenders, from left to right: Virginia Tech's THOR, DARPA's test platform robot made by Boston Dynamics and Raytheon's Guardian. Scientists have invented a machine that imitates the way the human brain learns new information, a step forward for artificial intelligence, researchers reported. The system described in the journal Science is a computer model "that captures humans' unique ability to learn new concepts from a single example," the study said. "Though the model is only capable of learning handwritten characters from alphabets, the approach underlying it could be broadened to have applications for other symbol-based systems, like gestures, dance moves, and the words of spoken and signed languages." Joshua Tenenbaum, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), said he wanted to build a machine that could mimic the mental abilities of young children.