In my Crush The Street interview that I recently posted, one of the topics that I discussed was artificial intelligence. The backdrop of this discussion was the recent pullback in Tesla shares, due to a fatal accident involving a Model X.
This accident comes against the backdrop of an Uber driverless vehicle tragedy in which a pedestrian was killed. I also wrote about this incident in a prior Steemit post.
The natural response to these incidents is that driverless AI technologies don't work in a real-world environment, and that is my assessment as well. Regarding the Tesla incident, I believe accidents are occurring because people are abusing the Autopilot feature, which is a driver-aid, not a driver-less technology.
But the greater issue is that AI is a misnomer.
Artificial intelligence is intelligent only within a defined framework. For instance, let's say you're playing Madden football. I'm sure the AI technology in that game is excellent, meaning that it learns how to play efficiently in dynamic situations.
But that dynamism is predefined: you can't then take that same AI and expect it to learn a different sport, such as basketball or baseball. Humans can because we adapt to any situation. AI technologies, in sharp contrast, must be spoon-fed the parameters and functionalities.
Otherwise, AI technology is total BS, just like that Sophia robot which I mentioned in my InvestorPlace article featuring Tesla stock.
You have to walk before you run
It's interesting to me just how much the general public (and I'm including myself in this broad statement) has been deluded with the "deep learning" ruse.
Computers only "learn" in predefined contexts, as I mentioned earlier. Indeed, all computer programming is based on ever-expanding binary codes -- ones and zeros. Yeah, the codes are getting more complex, but that doesn't change the yes/no logic. AI doesn't know "maybe," or non-verbal cues such as hesitation.
Also, consider this: a camera that can focus as fast as the human eye is still a theoretical concept. Our eyes are remarkable organs. Assuming normal functioning, they have zero lag between focusing in-depth on a particular object and on the full spectrum.
Just try it -- focus on one object, then focus out on the whole environment. There's zero lag.
Now try that on a camera -- even on a bright, clear day, the camera lens takes time adjusting from close to far. And in dark or inclement weather, forget it! You could spend several seconds trying to focus on a target.