Why Prediction is the Essence of Intelligence
Is it a coincidence that machine learning and intelligence are both rooted in prediction?
Are we approaching a momentous juncture when our technology embodies the essence of intelligence? Or is this yet another chapter in a long history of misconceptions? And if it is indeed the essence, in a system of many components, what elevates prediction above the rest?
“Prediction is the essence of intelligence” — Yann LeCun
Yuval Noah Harari advises us to study history to loosen the grip of the past. “Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.” If you’re charting a roadmap in artificial intelligence, surveying the options is prudent. By tracing the work of Marcus Hutter, Shane Legg, Jeff Hawkins, and Yann LeCun, we gain insights into why machine learning holds us in its powerful grip.
(For a shorter read, a summary of this story is provided at the bottom of the page.)
Technology molds our explanations of intelligence
Historically, the dominant technology of each age molded our explanations of how intelligence works. The hydraulic technologies of the ancient Greeks paralleled…
