Deep learning maximalism: a dialogue

A: So these guys are very confident that they will develop superhuman AI within a few years

B: Cute, I guess that neuropsychology degree is really paying off for them

A: No, no, they don't have any background in neuroscience or psychology

B: Oh ok. I guess they must be the mathematician or physicist type then. That would be *so* in character!

A: No, they don't really have any strong math background either

B: Oh. Well, it's not like you really need a PhD in any of these fields, you could just read a lot of books and papers, and catch up...

A: No, here's the thing: they don't read books. Not even AI/ML books. They only read ArXiv preprints

B: ...

A: ...are you getting it now?

The moral of this story is this: if you set out to solve ambitious problems, what you need most isn't "billions of dollars in funding", you need an attitude of doubt & perpetual learning. You need to read books. You can't be supremely confident in the things you think you know.

Especially if you happen to know nothing and to be horribly wrong in your key assumptions.

Being ignorant and wrong isn't the end! It could be the beginning. But if you don't read and if you display absolute intellectual arrogance, your journey is already over before it started.