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Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way since its inception, and it's hard to imagine a time when mobile apps didn't rely on AI-powered features. The history of AI began in antiquity, with myths and stories of artificial beings endowed with intelligence or consciousness by master craftsmen. As we delve into the timeline of AI development, we'll discover how it evolved from abstract mathematical reasoning to sophisticated language models.
The study of logic and formal reasoning dates back to ancient times, laying the groundwork for the invention of programmable digital computers in the 1940s. This milestone inspired scientists to explore the possibility of building an electronic brain. The Dartmouth College workshop in 1956 marked the foundation of AI research, with attendees becoming leaders in the field for decades.
The early years of AI saw significant investment and optimism, but as the 1970s approached, researchers began to realize the enormity of the challenge ahead. Criticism from James Lighthill and pressure from Congress led to a halt in funding, marking an "AI winter." However, the Japanese government's visionary initiative and the success of expert systems reignited investment, and by the late 1980s, the industry had grown into a billion-dollar enterprise.
The early 2000s saw the application of machine learning to various problems, driven by powerful computer hardware, immense data sets, and solid mathematical methods. This led to breakthroughs like deep learning and the transformer architecture, which debuted in 2017. The rapid scaling and public releases of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have since fueled exponential investment in AI.
As we look back at the history of AI, it's clear that the field has been shaped by philosophical and logical precursors. From ancient logic to medieval folklore, myths, and stories about artificial life, the concept of intelligent machines has captivated human imagination. The integration of AI into various sectors has also raised concerns about potential risks and ethical implications.
Precursors
Philosophers have long explored the idea of logic, which can be considered an instance of agent-independent intelligence. Rumi's 13th-century statement, "The Masnavi will become a teacher after me and will guide seekers," expresses a philosophical idea similar to the concept of intelligent twins independent of the original system.
Myths and folklore have also depicted automatons and human-like artificial life. Greek mythology features Talos, a bronze creature that guarded the island of Crete. Alchemists in the Islamic Golden Age attempted Takwin, the artificial creation of life, including human life. Jewish folklore tells the story of a Golem, a clay sculpture brought to life through the insertion of a piece of paper with God's names.
By the 19th century, ideas about artificial men and thinking machines became a popular theme in fiction. Works like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part Two, and Karel Čapek's R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) reflected society's growing interest in machines with AI.
Automata
Craftsmen from various civilizations built realistic humanoid automata, including Yan Shi, Hero of Alexandria, Al-Jazari, Haroun al-Rashid, Jacques de Vaucanson, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, Pierre Jaquet-Droz, and Wolfgang von Kempelen. The oldest known automata were sacred statues of ancient Egypt and Greece.
Formal reasoning is based on the assumption that human thought can be mechanized. Philosophers developed structured methods of formal deduction by the first millennium BCE. Spanish philosopher Ramon Llull (1232–1315) developed logical machines devoted to producing knowledge through logical means.