Machines can learn and so should you

Ad-tech, Fin-tech... all hyped and good. In contrast, Ed-tech does not get enough attention. Ed-tech's mantra: the use of technology to provide quality education to the Many. People can learn at their own pace, with subtitles, in their own homes and in many cases, for free. In today's western world, time has become the new currency and the competition for our free-time is fierce.

This week, Helsinki University launched Elements of AI, a free online course covering the basics of Artificial Intelligence which takes around 30 hours to complete. So far, I've done the easiest part, the short registration form followed by a mandatory tweet and blogpost. In short, 0% progress.

There are plenty of free courses out there covering AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and the likes. From Stanford University, Google and many others. The point is, I am convinced that AI is the new 'bicycle for the mind'. The below is only 1 minute long.

...And AI is here to stay. Looking back at our history, technology has radically changed humanity, it is the main differentiator between us and the other species and, it is never static. Language allowed us to accumulate and transfer knowledge from one generation to the next. No one would know how to weave if born in the wild. Remember Tarzan?

Writing, the printing press, the scientific method and the list goes on and on. Posthumanism, transhumanism... one day, perhaps. And whatever comes next. Utterly unimaginable at this point, one thinks.

The very essence of AI and machines that can learn from accumulated knowledge changes the role of the Masters, Us. There is already a shortage of qualified people in the field of AI, a new paradigm that is here to stay.

I am planning to complete the course in about six weeks and will post my thoughts here. Moreover, once and if I pass, I will be able to display an honorary badge on my Linkedin profile. It's all about the medals.🏆

And yes, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, PlayStation... they are all competing for our free time. The irony is, they use Artificial Intelligence for that!