Comment by shawnz

> Each of us has undergone an $age-year period of training, 18 years of which was on someone else's effort and time. I doubt someone is willing to put in that much personal investment to raise a neural net like his/her own child.

Unlike humans, software is reproducable and doesn't expire. So even if such a software took 18 years to develop, it is still a worthwhile endeavor since it has the potential to be used by countless people well into the future. Furthermore it is not necessary that it is developed by just one person, nor is it necessary that it is developed at the same speed that humans develop. The creation of such a software could take 100 years and it would still be worthwhile.