I suppose I agree in the sense that it is, really, the killer app. Still I think OP's point still holds, machine translation is undeniably infinitely more practical with ML but it still is just an augmentation. Same going for voice recognition.
I think OP’s first paragraph sounds like a reasonable framework for viewing the utility of ML, though is a bit too black/white. Bit they lose me completely when they said that we’re “very far away from AI enabling the average person to have new opportunities and experiences in the same way as past technological innovations have”.
In any case, I agree with the thread’s larger point that the buzz and hype around the field is exhausting, and certainly not always warranted. Nothing makes my eyes roll more than reading a post from a data “thought-leader” on LinkedIn.
