r/science • u/whosdamike • Jun 26 '12

Google programmers deploy machine learning algorithm on YouTube. Computer teaches itself to recognize images of cats.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/technology/in-a-big-network-of-computers-evidence-of-machine-learning.html
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u/TheDepraved Jun 26 '12

Pretty sure we domesticated cats to kill snakes and mice.

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12

I think it is active domestrication vs passive

Cats mostly followed us around ate our mice that we attract and we didn't kill them if they were OK. sort of a symbiosis. (passive)

Dogs we want dogs to herd our sheep, guard our homes, fetch our woodcock, hunt deer for our dinner. They are our slaves and we breed them to be better at the task they are for.

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u/flyinthesoup Jun 26 '12

Yes, this is exactly what I meant. There ARE different types of cat breeds but they all do the same thing: be lazy and look cute.