A toddler learns language by seeing and doing. At peak learning age, 3-year-olds learn about 400 words a month. For example, hand a toddler a cup of water and pronounce the word “cup.” Most toddlers immediately understand properties about it that are phenomenally complex. Cups have weight, volume and hold fluid. They spill when turned over. They’re lighter when empty. Physics majors spend years learning the math behind physical principles a toddler learns instantly through observation and practice.
Artificial intelligence doesn’t observe the world like a toddler. “Intelligence” is a misnomer when teaching “skills” to machines. They learn by codifying patterns in data that can often be inconsistent or incomplete. They make recommendations and predictions using algorithms that are vulnerable to biased data. They don’t introspect or experiment like toddlers. As a result, most enterprise AI projects fail.
