I don't understand why this is a goal... Yes if machines could self-teach the way humans do, they'd be really powerful. However, in many ways programs are bett

I don't understand why this is a goal... Yes if machines could self-teach the way humans do, they'd be really powerful. However, in many ways programs are better than people, and we try to get people systems be MORE like software. Often times you want a system with hard, uncompromising rules, following a strict process without exceptions (e.g. an ATM). Bank tellers try to be non-human and ATM-like. The real dichotomy is between predefined systems and adaptive systems, and there are times we want each. Also, despite the author's fantasy, I don't see any reason to believe life as a whole would be better if computers did both.