In Praise Of Boring AI (A.K.A. Machine Learning)

Matt Velloso, a technical advisor to Microsoft's CEO, got 24,000 likes on this tweet posted in November 2018: "Difference between machine learning and AI: If it is written in Python, it's probably machine learning. If it is written in PowerPoint, it's probably AI." This sums up the AI frenzy that has seized marketing departments and media pundits for the last three years. With the coming of age of machine learning and deep learning, many have hastily jumped to the conclusion that, at long last, humans are on the verge of creating a machine in their own image, capable of autonomous thinking--general artificial intelligence somehow emerging from more and more complex algorithms. Yes, neural networks have revolutionized the computer vision space and transformed natural language processing.