Artificial Intelligence may feel like a modern phenomenon, but its foundation was laid centuries ago. To understand why today feels like the true era of AI, it helps to look back at the key figures and milestones that brought us here.
From Mechanical Calculators to Machine Intelligence
The earliest concepts of computing trace back to the early 1800s, when Charles Babbage introduced the “Difference Machine.” Although it was never fully built, this mechanical device was the first real attempt at automated calculation.
More than a century later, Alan Turing revolutionized the field. During World War II, he created a machine called “The Bombe” that broke the German Enigma code. His work also introduced the concept of machine intelligence through what he called the “Imitation Game,” now known as the Turing Test. This test asked whether a computer could be indistinguishable from a human during conversation.
Coining the Term “Artificial Intelligence”
In 1956, John McCarthy, a computer scientist and Caltech graduate, formally coined the term “Artificial Intelligence” during the Dartmouth Conference. This event marked the official beginning of AI as a field of research, bringing together pioneers who would shape its early direction.
The Rise of Early AI Applications
By the mid-1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum created Eliza, a simple chatbot designed to mimic human conversation. Though limited in functionality, it was one of the first programs to interact in a way that felt conversational and human-like.
Around the same time, the Stanford Research Initiative developed Shakey the Robot, a machine capable of basic visual perception, route planning, and object manipulation. This was an early glimpse at robotics infused with human-like abilities.
Laying the Groundwork for Neural Networks
In 1978, Geoff Hinton earned his PhD from the University of Edinburgh, focusing on neural networks. His work planted the seeds for what would become one of the most transformative areas of AI development in the decades to come.
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