The irony of artificial intelligence (AI) is that it inspires new perspectives on the human experience and the nature of human intelligence. These insights are then applied to the development of human-like intelligence in machines.

Since Claude Shannon’s, Seymour Papert’s, and others’ pioneering work in artificial intelligence, educational technology, and information theory, researchers at MIT have been at the forefront of inventing a future in artificial intelligence that is still evolving today. The current research presented in this exhibition stands on the shoulders of that early work, and spans computer science, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, and the social sciences.

The more this research explores the link between human and machine intelligence, the more it exposes the gap between the two. The ubiquitous presence of this technology, from AI in the home to robots in the workplace, compels us to asks questions about its potential and its risks, and about machine ability versus human ability.

What has become clear is that the more we advance artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, the more we need to mind the gap.