New Algorithm Helps Computers Think More Like Humans

Humans and machines organize the world in very different ways. People are good at fitting small data sets into larger patterns: Eggs, chocolate, butter, sugar, and flour? Sounds like a brownie mix. Computers, on the other hand, are good at sorting huge data sets into clusters without supervision: All of these ingredients show up in recipes for sweets. But they can struggle with details: Wait, what's this Tootsie Roll doing in my brownie?