Machine Learning and Human Intelligence, by Rosemary Luckin

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I’ve received a copy of this book and had a brief look through. Professor Luckin proposes an intelligence-based curriculum. It’s full of references to research, as you’d expect, and is bang up to date. For example, it mentions the fact that under the new General Data Protection Regulation people have the right to question decisions made automatically by an algorithm.

It covers the standard intelligence (IQ) test and explains why it's inadequate, and concepts of social intelligence as favoured by Vygotski and others.

I haven't read very much of the book so far, hence the category in which this article appears: Books in Brief. However, the thrust of the approach seems to be that before we can understand artificial intelligence it would be pretty useful to understand human intelligence.

I attended the Nesta FutureFest recently, and was amused by Douglas Rushcroff's observation that computer scientists think they've cracked artificial intelligence, so who ya gonna believe: programmers or neuroscientists?

Also at the conference was a panel discussion involving Sir Anthony Seldon talking about AI and also his new book, The Fourth Education Revolution (Buckingham University Press). It sounds very interesting.

Now, I have four pieces of good news for you:

1. The next issue of my Digital Education newsletter has a special focus on Artificial Intelligence.

2. The main book review will be of Rose Luckin's book.

Here's an Amazon affiliate link to the book, but don't click just yet:

Machine Learning and Human Intelligence

3. The prize draw for the next issue of the newsletter will be for that very book. The draw is open to subscribers only.

4. If you don't do deferred gratification, then buy the book now, but bear in mind...

The publisher, UCL, is offering 20% off to subscribers to the Digital Education newsletter.

That's right: 20% off when you enter a special code at the checkout, so why not subscribe to Digital Education now?