So far, anyway. An eclectic assembly of University of Georgia scientists is working to change that. They are teaching computers to learn from their mistakes and answer questions computers have never faced before. Those are tasks that traditional computers just cannot do. Unlike humans, most computers cannot cope with situations they are not explicitly programmed to handle.
Neural networks are different.
They do more than just crunch numbers. They use experience, almost like people, to deal with new situations. And no one knows precisely how either one works. You have to experiment some. For one, researchers at the university's Complex Carbohydrate Research Center are using computers to identify molecules by something akin to a fingerprint.