Deep Learning is an incredibly powerful technology and there are a number of (focused / specific) areas where it already surpasses human-level abilities. Here are some examples:
- Translation: If you haven't been watching closely, the quality of Google Translate translations has really been improved in recent years. This 2016 story is a little dated, but it explains how they made a big push a few years back and it continues to improve as the technology improves.
- X-ray interpretation: In a matter of a few years, the performance of Deep Learning in reading and making diagnoses from x-rays has surpassed top radiology practitioners. See how DeepMind raised the bar on identifying breast cancer.
- Playing Go: Watch the AlphaGo documentary if you haven't already.
- Protein Folding: Check out AlphaFold from last November, where DeepMind blasted through a notoriously complicated problem in biology.
- Colourising images: A former fast.ai student, Jason Antic, made great progress with his work on DeOldify.
The really great thing about the fastai course is how it successfully has managed to democratise Deep Learning as a technology. I always enjoy reading about niche areas where specific burning problems were solved because someone took the opportunity to educate themselves.