8: AI & ML in the 2010s - From Science Fiction to Reality

The 2010s was the decade that “machine intelligence” made the leap from sci-fi to reality. When hard-coded rules were replaced by data-driven experience. When human cognition was translated into computer language and machines began to think and learn as humans do.  It has been a decade of great technological advancement and there is so much yet to be accomplished. For example, automation poses exciting growth and progress, as well as unprecedented challenges to society at large. How will we adapt to an automated society, not to mention new technologies like self-driving cars and deep fake imagery? Now that we have this technology, what will we do with it? At the beginning of 2020, we thought it would be nice to look back on the 2010s and consider what this new decade might have in store for us.  In this episode, Nikhil, Saurabh and I cover a huge range of developments from this past decade including quantum bits, the race to  5G, the Cybertruck, Neuralink, the AI Arms race between the US and China, as well as some of the non-headline making research developments like Adam R and Yolo. Stay tuned to find out why Saurabh claims “Autonomy is taking over our lives in every way.” And how a seemingly innocuous Roomba could be the centerpiece of a grand heist.