The race for the master algorithm has begun

Geoff Hinton believes that the way our brains learn can be captured in a single algorithm, and he's spent the last 40 years trying to discover it. A psychologist turned computer scientist who now splits his time between Google and the University of Toronto, he tells of coming home from work one day in a state of great excitement, exclaiming, "I did it! I've figured out how the brain works!" His daughter replied, "Oh Dad, not again!" But after many ups and downs, his quest is starting to pay off.

http://www.wired.co.uk