Artificial intelligence, as explained by a former animal trainer

Edition: US - Today's top story: How understanding animals can help us make the most of artificial intelligence [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 31 March 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note There’s a lot of buzz about artificial intelligence these days: It’s driving cars, playing games, and helping out on factory floors. But most of us don’t really know how to think about AI. Is it a computer or is it a brain? Can it think or know things, or does it just make guesses based on past experiences? Former animal trainer Heather Roff, now an artificial intelligence scholar, suggests that [we humans already have a concept]( that could help us understand AI much better: animals. Mental disorders have long been difficult to diagnose and to treat, and faulty definitions of them have only made it harder, write four researchers in psychiatry and psychology who recently helped to put together a new framework for classifying mental illness. [This new framework](, they write, “can revolutionize how we diagnose and treat the different ways that people struggle with their mental health” . And if your own mental health could use a moment of zen, have you considered gazing at some fractals? University of Oregon’s Richard Taylor suggests these repeating patterns show up in both nature and art – and are both [aesthetically appealing and can chill you out.]( Jeff Inglis Editor, Science + Technology Top story Autonomous cars aren’t smarter than this. X posid [How understanding animals can help us make the most of artificial intelligence]( Heather Roff, Arizona State University A former animal trainer explains how we might usefully think about the limitations of artificial intelligence systems. Health + Medicine - [How better definitions of mental disorders could aid diagnosis and treatment]( Miri Forbes, University of Minnesota; David Watson, University of Notre Dame; Robert Krueger, University of Minnesota; Roman Kotov, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York) There is typically no fever, no broken bone, no lesion to examine under a microscope when evaluating mental illness. Diagnosing disorders therefore is hard. A new way to classify disorders could help. Arts + Culture - [Was Chuck Berry the lone genius he's made out to be?]( Tim McFarlin, Elon University In 2000, Berry's longtime piano player sued him, claiming he never got any credit for songs he had co-written. Even though the case was dismissed, a St. Louis lawyer decided to investigate further. Science + Technology - [Fractal patterns in nature and art are aesthetically pleasing and stress-reducing]( Richard Taylor, University of Oregon Fractals are patterns that repeat at increasingly fine magnifications. They turn up in the natural world and in artists' work. Research suggests they contribute to making something aesthetically appealing. Politics + Society - [The death penalty is getting more and more expensive. Is it worth it?]( Peter A. Collins, Seattle University; Aliza Kaplan, Lewis & Clark In Oregon and Washington, the costs of seeking and administering the death penalty have increased significantly since the 1980s. - [Peace dividends of military alliances go farther than you'd think]( Skyler Cranmer, The Ohio State University; Aisha Bradshaw, The Ohio State University; Caitlin Clary, The Ohio State University; Weihua Li, Beihang University New research from a multidisciplinary teams of scholars suggests military alliances tie nations together in ways that are not always immediately obvious. Trending on Site - [Trump slams brakes on Obama's climate plan, but there's still a long road ahead]( Henrik Selin, Boston University Trump's executive order on climate will cede American leadership internationally and scores a political win. But reversing all Obama's work will require big wins in court. - [Why Russia gave up Alaska, America's gateway to the Arctic]( William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, University of Alaska Anchorage The tale of how and why Russia ceded its control over Alaska to the U.S. 150 years ago is actually two tales and two intertwining histories. - [How Facebook – the Wal-Mart of the internet – dismantled online subcultures]( Jessa Lingel, University of Pennsylvania Even though Facebook claims to be a global community, its rise has come at the expense of online subcultures for marginalized people, from body modification enthusiasts to drag queens. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 625 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 USA