Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Computers, relying heavily on deep-learning and newly developed technologies, can be trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognizing patterns in the data. AI, sometimes referred to as machine learning, is a focal point of recent articles in various periodicals, including "What China Can Teach the U.S. It is thus a very timely topic to be considered in West Virginia because as one author put it: AI "will usher in an era of massive productivity increases but also widespread disruptions in labor markets -and profound sociopsychological effects on people - as artificial intelligence takes over human jobs across all sorts of industries." To their credit, the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and West Virginia Forward centered at West Virginia University, in collaboration with, and financial support of, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will host a day-long, invitation-only forum in Charleston on Tuesday, Oct. 9, having as its theme "Focus Forward: Preparing Today for the West Virginia of Tomorrow Understanding the impact of machine learning on people, education, and policy." The first scheduled speaker scheduled is Mark Kamlet, Carnegie Mellon University professor and provost emeritus and global consultant. His topic will be "Understanding Machine Learning from an Economist's Perspective." Dr. Kamlet will be followed by a number of speakers and panelists addressing various relevant aspects of the theme, including a panel on "Skills Machines Cannot Easily Replace." The timeliness and urgency of the Oct. 9 forum are evidenced in a book published last month and titled "AI Super-Powers China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order" by Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, a native of Taiwan, who earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Dr. Lee is the chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and the president of Sinovation Ventures' Artificial Intelligence Institute. Altogether, Dr. Lee has been in artificial intelligence research, development, and investment for more than 30 years. While much of Dr. Lee's recent book concerns the relative positions of China and the United States in pushing the envelope in advancing AI technologies and implementations, it also addresses the effects of AI on humans worldwide. Lee concedes that he is frightened by "the real-world demons that could be conjured up by mass employment (resulting from advancements in AI) and the resulting social turmoil." He goes on to say that "the threat to jobs will not discriminate by the color of one's collar, instead striking the highly trained and poorly educated alike .[This]