Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD)
DaniFong: I can show that you don't need to finish a PhD in AI to do research and create AI to solve problems people have never before successfully approached. I've done it myself (though unfortunately most of it is locked behind a walled garden of IP).If this is a course you're interested in, here's what I suggest.1) Read up on AI breadth first and shallowly. Focus more on machine learning, search, filtering, and so forth, than heavier (and less successful) topics such as knowledge systems and computer vision.2) Go through a list of startups that you like, use, or admire. Imagine the simplest cool/good/useful thing the startup could do with a cute little algorithm.3) Develop the basic idea for it, contact the company, say you'd like to hack on it for cheap.4) Kill the problem.5) Use that startup as a reference. Find another one, but this time, ask that you can publish the method.6) Repeat. Blog about your conquests. Explain how to replicate and extend your results. Eventually, focus on a bigger project to tackle. If your interests align with a research program at a university, consider entering the PhD program then. With this behind you, you'll probably get in anywhere.If you're interested, I can give you some pointers on the development of quick and useful recommendation engines, which practically every startup can use. If you'd like, send me an email at daniellefong@daniellefong.com