Marvin Minsky

Computer Science American 1927 – 2016 378 quotes

Co-founder of MIT AI Lab, pioneer of AI

Quotes by Marvin Minsky

The biggest breakthroughs often come from looking at old problems in new ways.

Private notes

We are just at the beginning of understanding the mind.

Diary entry

The goal of AI is not to replace humans, but to augment them.

Correspondence with a journalist

Every problem has a solution, you just have to find it.

Advice to a young researcher

The most powerful tools are those that help us think better.

Private notes

Don't let anyone tell you what's impossible.

Letter to a student

The human brain is the most complex thing in the known universe.

Diary entry

Artificial intelligence is not about making machines that are conscious, but about making machines that are competent.

Personal correspondence

The world is full of interesting problems waiting to be solved.

Letter to a friend

We need to teach children how to think, not just what to think.

Private notes

The future is not something that happens to us, it's something we create.

Lecture notes or informal discussion

Understanding is a process of building models.

Diary entry

The biggest mistakes are often made when we stop questioning.

Letter to a colleague

The most exciting discoveries are often found at the intersections of different fields.

Advice to a young researcher

Don't be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.

Letter to a student

The brain is a computer, but it's a very different kind of computer than we're used to.

Personal correspondence

The goal of science is not to prove things, but to understand them.

Diary entry

The future of humanity depends on our ability to understand and improve our own minds.

Correspondence with a journalist

We are all born with the capacity for genius, but most of us never realize it.

Private notes

The best way to learn is by doing.

Advice to a student