I think you could accurately say machine learning is a subfield of ai. I think of it as the mathematical toolbag with which many ai applications are built. (B

I think you could accurately say machine learning is a subfield of ai. I think of it as the mathematical toolbag with which many ai applications are built. (Before he edited his post OP had a comment about the confusion between the terms 'machine learning' and 'artificial intelligence')... Put another way I think machine learning specifically refers to the mathematical ideas used to teach things to a machine, and the ai to the resulting entity which often makes use machine learning techniques(usually in addition to specialized code specific to the application). I think some people feel that "general intelligence" would require a paradigm that somehow transcends math and algorithms which seem to only result in specialized a.i's. And that maybe it all needs to be tossed out and re-examined with a blank slate. On the other hand, i would suggest that specialized ai software will become more and more generalized until we can't tell the difference. I think it's all about having a sane perspective. In this day and age with machines and gadgets in every room, man-made artifacts teach us how to think, and we teach machines how to think in a recursive interdependent cycle. In that sense reaching the final goal post means progressively improving our machines to be active communicators and good listeners, to the point where they can learn things from each other. Eventually their interactions will become complex enough that their communications will be unpredictable but still productive on the whole. So we'll leave them on so they can talk. At which point you could call it a society of machines.... Anyway I guess the point is specificity of language seems to be important learning and thinking about AIs.