Intelligent systems, like those powered by the latest round of machine learning software, aren't just getting smarter: they're getting smarter faster. What we might call "machine teaching"--when devices communicate gained knowledge to one another--is a radical step up in the speed at which these systems improve.

"The easier it is to communicate, the faster change happens." During an October 2015 press conference announcing the autopilot feature of the Tesla Model S, which allowed the car to drive semi-autonomously, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said each driver would become an "expert trainer" for every Model S. Each car could improve its own autonomous features by learning from its driver, but more significantly, when one Tesla learned from its own driver--that knowledge could then be shared with every other Tesla vehicle. As Fred Lambert with Electrik reported shortly after, Model S owners noticed how quickly the car's driverless features were improving. In one example, Teslas were taking incorrect early exits along highways, forcing their owners to manually steer the car along the correct route. After just a few weeks, owners noted the cars were no longer taking premature exits.