According to research by Trinity College Dublin, babies can aid in unlocking the next generation of AI. The researchers examine the neuroscience and psychology of infant learning and distils three principles to guide the next generation of AI. As per the study, it will help overcome the pressing limitations of machine learning.
Dr Lorijn Zaadnoordijk, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow at the university, stated that exciting developments in AI had been achieved due to machine learning which uses enormous datasets to train ANN models. However, since the datasets that machines learn from must be curated by humans, progress is stalling in many areas. The neuroscientists at the university suggest that learning can be done much more efficiently. For instance, infants learn by experiencing the world around them.
The article “Lessons from infant learning for unsupervised machine learning” argues that better ways to learn from unstructured data are needed. Then, for the first time, they made concrete proposals about what insights from infant learning can be fruitfully applied in machine learning and how they should be applied.
In their opinion, machines will need in-built preferences to shape their learning from the beginning. They will need to learn from richer datasets that capture how the world looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels. Like infants, they must have a developmental trajectory, where experiences and networks change as they “grow up”.
Dr. Tarek R. Besold, Researcher, Philosophy and Ethics group at TU Eindhoven, opines that as AI researchers, we often draw metaphorical parallels between our system and the mental development of human babies and children. Therefore, it is high time to take these analogies more seriously and look at the rich knowledge of infant development from psychology and neuroscience.
Professor Rhodri Cusack added that ANN was in parts inspired by the brain. Like infants, they rely on learning, but current implementations are very different from human and animal learning. He stated that through interdisciplinary research, babies could help unlock the next generation of AI.
Source: indiaai.gov.in
