AI Timeline
The idea of AI dates back at least 2,700 years. Adrienne Mayor , research scholar, folklorist, and science historian at Stanford University, states that “our ability to imagine artificial intelligence goes back to ancient times. Long before technological advances made self-moving devices possible, ideas about creating artificial life and robots were explored in ancient myths.”
Mayor suggests that the myths about Hephaestus , the Greek god of invention and blacksmithing, included antecedents to AI. For example, Hephaestus created the giant bronze man, Talos , which had a mysterious life force from the gods called ichor . Hephaestus also created Pandora & her infamous box, as well as a set of automated servants made of gold that were given the knowledge of the gods.
The development of artificial intelligence can be traced through the following short but fascinating timeline.
1950s
- 1950: Alan Turing British mathematician and logician proposes the Turing test to determine if a machine can think.
- 1955-1956: Allen Newell, J.C. Shaw, and Herbert Simon create Logic Theorist , the first AI program designed to mimic human problem-solving.
- 1956: John McCarthy coins the term “artificial intelligence” and proposes a summer workshop on the topic at Dartmouth College.
1960s-1970s
- 1958: Frank Rosenblatt invents the Perceptron , an early neural network seen as foundational for future AI.
- 1960s-1970s: Increased availability of cheaper computers allows for more AI research and programs like Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA to flourish.
- 1960s-1980s: US government agencies like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) fund AI research, but progress is limited by computer capabilities.
1980s-1990s
- 1980s-1990s: Renewed government funding leads to advancements like expert systems by Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg, but progress stalls again with funding cuts.
- 1997: IBM’s Deep Blue chess computer defeats world champion Garry Kasparov, marking a significant milestone in AI.
2000s-Present
- Early 2000s-Present: Advancements in computer storage and speed allow for wider AI research and applications like facial recognition, search engines, and digital assistants.
- 2023: Tech leaders call for a pause on powerful AI development due to safety and ethical concerns.
- Oct 2023: US issues an executive order on AI focused on safety, security, and ethical development.
- Early 2024: Controversy erupts over Google’s AI chatbot Gemini generating inaccurate historical images.
- Early 2024: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) bans AI-generated voices in robocalls after a political group uses one to impersonate President Biden.