New schemes teach the masses to build AI

OVER THE past five years researchers in artificial intelligence have become the rock stars of the technology world. A branch of AI known as deep learning, which uses neural networks to churn through large volumes of data looking for patterns, has proven so useful that skilled practitioners can command high six-figure salaries to build software for Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. The top names can earn over $1m a year. The standard route into these jobs has been a PhD in computer science from one of America's elite universities. Earning one takes years and requires a disposition suited to academia, which is rare among more normal folk.