Charles Isbell and Michael Littman: Machine Learning and Education | Lex Fridman Podcast #148

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 26, 2020

Duration

1h 57m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Charles Isbell is the Dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Michael Littman is a computer scientist at Brown University. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Charles's Twitter: https://twitter.com/isbellHFh Charles's Website: https://www.cc.gatech.edu/~isbell/ Michael's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlittmancs Michael's Website: https://www.littmania.com/ Michael's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mlittman PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 2:27 - Is machine learning just statistics? 6:49 - NeurIPS vs ICML 9:05 - Data is more important than algorithm 14:49 - The role of hardship in education 23:33 - How Charles and Michael met 28:05 - Key to success: never be satisfied 31:23 - Bell Labs 42:50 - Teaching machine learning 53:01 - Westworld and Ex Machina 1:01:00 - Simulation 1:07:49 - The college experience in the times of COVID 1:36:27 - Advice for young people 1:43:19 - How to learn to program 1:54:43 - Friendship CONNECT:

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🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Charles Isbell

  guest

• Michael Littman

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Charles Isbell, Charles Isbell and Michael Littman: Machine Learning and Education | Lex Fridman Podcast #148 explores machine learning, statistics, and reimagining education in a digital age Lex Fridman hosts Charles Isbell and Michael Littman for a wide-ranging discussion on what machine learning really is, how it relates to statistics and software engineering, and how neural networks and data reshape the field. They dive deeply into teaching: how to design meaningful machine learning courses, the role of struggle and hope in learning, and what MOOCs and COVID have revealed about the true value of the college experience. They also reflect on Bell Labs, research culture, debugging, simulations, and how online degrees like Georgia Tech’s OMSCS expand access without replacing traditional campuses. The conversation is threaded with their long friendship, playful debate, and a shared belief that education is fundamentally about human connection.

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