[cowanon22]

The truth is that artificial intelligence and machine learning today are still aspirational titles - the current tech simple does not learn or reason in any way that is similar to human or even biological reasoning.

Data mining and probabilistic pattern recognition are much more accurate descriptions, but don't sound as exciting.

It's definitely possible that true AI will one day exist, but it may be anywhere from 5 to 1000 years away. I suspect the current approaches will not resemble the final form when it comes to AI.

[HenryKissinger]

The future is littered with The Onion headlines.

"AI researchers drop silicon, turn to biological computers"

"AI researchers discover AI biological computers not so artificial after all"

"AI researchers to allow AI biological computers to grow neurons and grey matter"

"AI researchers realize AI biological computers need oxygen and organic nutrients, not electricity"

"Shortages of neurology textbooks as AI researchers switching careers to neurologists"

"AI researchers turn to live human farms to grow brains"

"AI researchers realize brains in a vat don't work, need sensory inputs, to farm human heads instead of just the brain"

"AI researchers realize heads in a vat don't work, need the rest of the body"

"'Why spend billions on cutting edge quantum processing units when a normal human will do the job?' asks machine learning pioneer"

"AI researchers give up, say human brains are better than supercomputers for a fraction of the cost"

"AI research community spent $635,920 billion and 537 years, has produced a human, says GoogleSoft-Zon report"

The end product of AI research will be Homo Sapiens.

[dr1337]

Don't be surprised in the coming months to read 6 out of your 11 Onion headlines coming out as real scientific work.

[debacle]

I think the calculus was that you didn't need "true" AI for a self-driving car.

That still might be accurate, just maybe not in the near term. It may be controversial, but I think that humanity's hubris is the biggest barrier towards developing more effective AI.