The way that artificial intelligence has boomed over the course of the last few years has made it so that it sometimes feels like we are living in some kind of a scientific fiction setting, one that would make us amazed at just how many things there are available for you to look into. However, just because of the fact that artificial intelligence is a little more advanced than it was a few years ago doesn’t mean that it has become omniscient, indeed there are a few things here and there that humans don’t seem to have trouble with which includes things like mathematics.
Now, AI is able to solve basic math problems but it seems to be unable to comprehend advanced equations and the like. One potential reason behind why this is the case has to do with the inherently arbitrary way in which humans write equations. They make sense to us but to a machine that operates based on a strict set of rules the equations may as well be gibberish. This is a real problem because it poses a roadblock that would prevent people from genuinely utilizing the kind of potential that AI has, potential that can be used to change the world.
It seems like Facebook’s AI research team has managed to make it so that translating equations for AI is going to end up becoming far easier than it has ever been before, and a big part of the reason why this is the case has a lot to with the same neural networks that we use in order to translate languages like Mandarin into English. Basically, these researchers tried writing equations like any other language and their AI was able to understand it. This is a big step forward that has some pretty far reaching implications for the industry.
"Our model currently works on problems with a single variable, and we plan to expand it to multiple-variable equations. This approach could also be applied to other mathematics - and logic-based fields, such as physics, potentially leading to software that assists scientists in a broad range of work.", explained Facebook AI researchers in a blog post.
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Now, AI is able to solve basic math problems but it seems to be unable to comprehend advanced equations and the like. One potential reason behind why this is the case has to do with the inherently arbitrary way in which humans write equations. They make sense to us but to a machine that operates based on a strict set of rules the equations may as well be gibberish. This is a real problem because it poses a roadblock that would prevent people from genuinely utilizing the kind of potential that AI has, potential that can be used to change the world.
It seems like Facebook’s AI research team has managed to make it so that translating equations for AI is going to end up becoming far easier than it has ever been before, and a big part of the reason why this is the case has a lot to with the same neural networks that we use in order to translate languages like Mandarin into English. Basically, these researchers tried writing equations like any other language and their AI was able to understand it. This is a big step forward that has some pretty far reaching implications for the industry.
"Our model currently works on problems with a single variable, and we plan to expand it to multiple-variable equations. This approach could also be applied to other mathematics - and logic-based fields, such as physics, potentially leading to software that assists scientists in a broad range of work.", explained Facebook AI researchers in a blog post.
Read next: Facebook Will Send Notification for Logins Through Third-Party App
