HAW: Lesson - The History of AI

A statue of the mathematician Alan Turing.The History of AI

Think About It...

As we begin our first lesson, ask yourself a few questions:

  • Where did AI come from?
  • Who came up with the ideas behind what we now call AI?

To ensure we have a common understanding of Artificial Intelligence, we will define it as a branch of computer science concerned with techniques for getting computers to do things that normally require human intelligence to do (e.g., decision-making, problem-solving, planning) {AI4GA}. In addition to knowing what AI is, it is also important to gain a little background information of the when and how of AI.

Image note: the statue depicts mathematician Alan Turing, an early pioneer of computing and AI. The statue, made of slate, is located in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and was created by Stephen Kettle in 2007.

Early History of AI

Although AI seems relatively new and recent to most of us, the foundation and ideas of computer science and AI can be traced to the brilliant mind of Alan Turing. In 1950, Turing published a paper titled, ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence.’ In this article, he posed a thought-provoking question, “Can machines think?”

He suggested that if a machine could display intelligent behavior just like a human, then the machine could be considered intelligent. The concept gave rise to what we now know as the ‘Turing Test.’ While Turing’s research and publications sparked the minds of many computer science and AI pioneers, John McCarthy is recognized as the individual who first publicly coined the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference.

Current State of AI

Since the 1950’s AI has progressed significantly, despite times known as AI Winter in which advancements were stalled due to funding, interest, and technological capabilities. We are currently experiencing a global AI Revolution in which significant advancements and widespread adoption of AI technologies are permeating every faucet of life. Some of the key factors that have fueled this revolution are breakthroughs in Machine Learning, the availability of vast amounts of data, computing power, industry adoptions (healthcare, transportation, sports, music, art, agriculture, etc.), and ethical and societal implications.

Crash Course Video Lesson - AI History Overview

Watch the following video, presented by Crash Course, for additional insights about the history of AI.

Additional Reading

If you want to know more about the history of AI, this article, titled The History of Artificial Intelligence, from Harvard University Links to an external site. should provide you with great insights. You can read an embedded version of this article below:

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