How babies learn – and why robots can’t compete

If we could understand how the infant mind develops, it might help every child reach their full potential. But seeing them as learning machines is not the answer. By Alex Beard

Deb Roy and Rupal Patel pulled into their driveway on a fine July day in 2005 with the beaming smiles and sleep-deprived glow common to all first-time parents. Pausing in the hallway of their Boston home for Grandpa to snap a photo, they chattered happily over the precious newborn son swaddled between them.

This normal-looking suburban couple weren’t exactly like other parents. Roy was an AI and robotics expert at MIT, Patel an eminent speech and language specialist at nearby Northeastern State University. For years, they had been planning to amass the most extensive home-video collection ever.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2GP2GxT