The little bicycle that could, thanks to artificial intelligence

Machine learning technology has advanced quickly in recent years, but most devices share a common pitfall: the amount of time, energy, and human input required to get the skills of these systems up to snuff. When artificial intelligence learns, it often does so through brute force, cycling through countless rounds of trial and error until it converges on the best set of tactics. People, on the other hand, are much better at thinking on their feet, and require much less brainpower to do so. To bridge this processing gap, many independent groups of computer scientists are trying to build computer chips with an internal architecture that mimics that of the human brain. So-called neuromorphic chips are hybrids. Half of their makeup is standard AI fare, relying on standard computer algorithms.