Dave Senior, partner and strategist at Toronto-based digital agency Playground Inc, explained the difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the role each plays in transforming experiences and professions, during a lecture at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). Artificial intelligence continues to reshape all aspects of everyday life. From driverless cars and supermarkets with no cashiers to factory automation and e-learning, the rollout of machine-driven data and automated processes are redefining how the world operates, especially across the media industry. Senior explained that machine learning is the "acquisition of knowledge or skill by a computer, where the knowledge is provided and fed by an expert", while AI is where a machine can "apply knowledge and continue to optimise" using algorithms and logic to make decisions and come up with solutions, without an expert. "The differences between AI and machine learning are fairly stark," said Senior.