Is machine learning just another hype?

I turned 60 a few weeks ago, an age that I find rather intimidating – it sounds so old, and yet I feel much the same as ever. I have however noticed a creeping change in my attitude toward life. I was recently introduced to the concept of a “f**k-it list,” being a list of all the things for which one no longer has time, interest or patience. The concept neatly describes my changing attitude towards a whole range of topics, especially when it comes to software technology and engineering.

Another change is that I increasingly enjoy provoking a good argument (a five-minute one or a full half hour!). With the Software-Centric Systems Conference on the horizon, I thought it would be fun to create debate on some of the bigger software hypes of our time. Therefore, in this column I’m going to put the case for machine learning being just another hype. And before you all start flaming me, two things: 1. my goal here is to provoke a discussion that will enlighten us all, and 2. caring about whether you think I’m right or wrong is on my f**k-it list.