265 – Connectionist Versus Symbolist AI

About this episode

David and Kate discuss the historical divide between Symbolist and Connectionist approaches to AI and their implications for technology development.

David and Kate explore the historical divide between Symbolist and Connectionist approaches to AI, reflecting on how today’s dominant AI narratives emerged and what may have been lost along the way. They discuss the difference between expert systems built on structured human knowledge and data-driven learning systems based on neural networks, and consider the implications of each for governance, traceability, social impact, and responsible technology development. The conversation highlights how alternative approaches to AI may offer more practical and trustworthy pathways for addressing real-world challenges.

People in this episode

Host: David

Guest: Kate

Topics covered

• Symbolist AI
• Connectionist AI
• AI governance
• traceability
• social impact
• responsible technology development

Keywords

• AI
• Symbolist
• Connectionist
• neural networks
• expert systems
• data-driven learning
• technology governance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IDEMS International

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