Last year we wrote about No Free Lunch Theory (NFLT) and how it relates to AI (among other things). In this recent Wired article, this seems to be coming true. Deep Learning, the technology that helped AI make significant leaps in performance has limitations. These limitations, as reported in the article, cannot necessarily be overcome with more compute power.
As NFLT states (paraphrased): being good at doing X means an algorithm cannot also be good at Doing Not X. Deep Learning models that have success in one area is not a guarantee they will have success in other areas. In fact the opposite tends to be true. This is the NFLT in action and in many ways, specialized-instances of AI-based systems was an inevitability of this.
This has implications for the broader adoption of AI. For example, there can be no out-of-the box AI "system". Implementing an AI solution based on the current-state-of-the-art is much like building a railway system. It needs to adapt to the local terrain. A firm can't take a system from another firm or AI-solutions provider and hope it will be a turn-key operation. I guess it's in the name, "Deep Learning". The "Deep" refers to deep domain, i.e. specific use-case, an not necessarily deep thinking.
This is great news if you are an AI developer or have experience in building AI-systems. You are the house builder of the modern age and your talents will always be in demand - unless someone automates AI-system implementation.
UPDATE: A16Z wrote this piece - which supports my thesis.
