The Uselessness of Useful Knowledge

Is artificial intelligence the new alchemy? That is, are the powerful algorithms that control so much of our lives -- from internet searches to social media feeds -- the modern equivalent of turning lead into gold? Moreover: Would that be such a bad thing? According to the prominent AI researcher Ali Rahimi and others, today's fashionable neural networks and deep learning techniques are based on a collection of tricks, topped with a good dash of optimism, rather than systematic analysis. Modern engineers, the thinking goes, assemble their codes with the same wishful thinking and misunderstanding that the ancient alchemists had when mixing their magic potions.