'Machine learning' is a revolution as big as the internet or personal computers

Sean Gallup / GettyDon't worry, the machines are your friend. It used to be the case that you had to program a computer so that it knew how to do things. Now computers can learn from experience. The breakthrough is called "machine learning." It's unimaginably important for understanding where technology is going, and where society is going with it. Netflix's movie recommendations, Amazon's product recommendations, Facebook's ability to spot your friends faces, dating app's matching you with potential dates -- these are all early examples of machine learning.