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I would say it has achieved that status already :)
Deep learning is getting more than its share of hype. Convex optimization is a jewel of computational science.
> I’m not convinced that today’s AI is anywhere near as profound as electricity or fire @akshayka can you elaborate a bit more on why you think that
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm now in my third year of my PhD and enjoying it more than ever, so there's that at least! In all seriousness, I totally acknowledge that the variance in satisfaction with a PhD is very large. I'm lucky to have a great advisor and incredible labmates; my happiness with the program is largely due to them.
> I'm lucky to have a great advisor and incredible labmates; my happiness with the program is largely due to them. This. So much this. As in just about every profession, people make or break places. Your advisor and lab mates are everything... choose wisely, and choose them vs a school for its name.
> I’m not convinced that today’s AI is anywhere near as profound as electricity or fire @akshayka can you elaborate a bit more on why you think that
Modern ML certainly has some cool applications, but none seem revolutionary. Can you list any that are?
When paired with a robotic medium, we'll be able to automate most pattern driven jobs like construction, welding, surgery, anything really that doesn't require human element to it and is more of a pattern matching behavior.
This is extremely revolutionary and will put a ton of people out of work. Any pattern-dependent job that does not require human interaction will be at risk, even coding (as we've seen by GPT-3's ability to generate code). Lawyers, sales people, cops, these jobs will be ok, but there will be less demand for humongous medical teams, software teams, etc. Bc all the entry-level work can be handled by AI, and just need some QA from a few engineers.
"Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai (who believes AI is “more profound than electricity or fire”) has emphasized that Google is an “AI-first” company, with the company seeking to implement machine learning in nearly everything do"
Nearly everything they do with your data.
> While I’m interested in machine learning, I’m not convinced that today’s AI is anywhere near as profound as electricity or fire This seems a not too uncommon experience among CS people where machine learning loses its interest once they understand the magic
The electric motor had been invented (by Faraday), but it couldn't do any useful work and had to sit in a pool of mercury to function. Electric lighting had been invented, but the filaments were dim and burned out too quickly to be practical. There was no way to generate or distribute electricity at scale. To most people, electricity looked like a toy (and a terrifying toy at that). It would take decades of invention and refinement to get to the point where electricity was useful, reliable, and ubiquitous. But the seeds for doing so were there in 1850.
So when Sundar Pichai says AI is more profound than electricity, it's possible he's right. It's just that we're still in its 1850, so we can't see it yet.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity#Cultural_perceptio...
> While I’m interested in machine learning, I’m not convinced that today’s AI is anywhere near as profound as electricity or fire This seems a not too uncommon experience among CS people where machine learning loses its interest once they understand the magic
In 1850, few people felt that electricity was particularly profound either. That year, William Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer, asked Michael Faraday why electricity was valuable. Faraday replied, "One day sir, you may tax it." [1]. The electric motor had been invented (by Faraday), but it couldn't do any useful work and had to sit in a pool of mercury to function. Electric lighting had been invented, but the…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Modern ML certainly has some cool applications, but none seem revolutionary. Can you list any that are?
Off the top of my head: When paired with a robotic medium, we'll be able to automate most pattern driven jobs like construction, welding, surgery, anything really that doesn't require human element to it and is more of a pattern matching behavior. This is extremely revolutionary and will put a ton of people out of work. Any pattern-dependent job that does not require human interaction will be at risk, even coding (as…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Modern ML certainly has some cool applications, but none seem revolutionary. Can you list any that are?
Off the top of my head: When paired with a robotic medium, we'll be able to automate most pattern driven jobs like construction, welding, surgery, anything really that doesn't require human element to it and is more of a pattern matching behavior. This is extremely revolutionary and will put a ton of people out of work. Any pattern-dependent job that does not require human interaction will be at risk, even coding (as…
I have nothing of value to add except that seeing someone do what they love and enjoy, greatly warms my heart. Good luck with everything Akshay!!
What an interesting way to view the world...