Over time, knowledge has been passed down in various forms. Before writing was invented in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), laws, history, myths, songs, and other information were all transferred from generation to generation orally. This was done either via instructions or storytelling (especially folktales and events that had happened over time).

But another common method of knowledge transfer is from teacher to student, whether formally or informally. We’ve seen this throughout time as well: the Bible recorded that Jesus had twelve disciples whom he taught daily from the start of his mission to his death. Socrates taught Plato. Plato went on to establish an academy in Athens, where he taught Aristotle for twenty years. Aristotle revolutionized science, logic, and politics. And the list goes on.

A 21st-century example of this is deep learning AI lineage.…