The History of AI: A Look at the Evolution of Intelligent Machines

We've all heard about the recent buzz word Artificial Intelligence or AI. Most of us know what ChatGPT, Midjourney, Bard and OpenAI are and how powerful they are. They are the latest in AI technology but what about it's roots? Do we know where it all started? Well in this blog I will talk about the history of AI and how it's not a recent concept.

The Beginning of AI: The mechanical Turk

The first example of a machine showing signs of intelligence was the Mechanical Turk. This was a chess playing automaton made by Wolfgang von Kempelen in the 18th century. The machine was however, a scam as it was controlled by a human chess master hidden inside. It still sparked imagination and showed the potential behind the idea of intelligent machines.

The Emergence of Digital Computers

The development of digital computers in the 20th century sparked new possibilities for AI. In the 1950s and 1060s, computer scientists made programs that were previously thought to require human intelligence. One of the earliest examples of this was the General Problem Solver made by Allen Newell and Herbert A., a program that could solve a wide range of problems by searching through a set a rules.

The birth of Machine Learning

Machine learning, which is a key component of AI, was first introduced by Arthur Samuel in the late 1950s, when he created a program that could learn to play checkers by playing against itself. By learning from its mistakes, this program was able to improve its performance over time. The concept of machines learning from data would become a fundamental concept in AI development.

Arthur Samuel

The AI Winter

In the 1970 there was a stagnant stage of AI research known as the AI winter. This was caused by lack of development, funding cuts and public scepticism about the potential of AI.

The Rise of Expert Systems

In the 1980s expert systems were being developed that mimicked the decision making processes of human experts. These systems were used in a variety of applications like medical diagnosis and financial analysis.

The Internet and Big Data

The development of the internet and the explosion of digital data in the 1990s and 2000s provided new opportunities for AI. Machine learning algorithms could now be fed massive amounts of data, allowing them to be more accurate in predicting and recommending. The results of this are recommendation systems in almost every e-commerce sites and social media, natural language processing and image recognition.

AI Today and Beyond

Now, AI research is advancing faster than ever before with new breakthroughs in areas such as deep learning, neural networks and robotics. AI is now used in a lot of sectors like autonomous vehicles, virtual assistants and chatbots. For example Vector robot is an AI powered companion bot that is literally like a robotic pet with simulated emotions, reactions and everything. 

Vector robot: AI powered companion bot

To summarize, the history of AI is an enthralling tale of human ingenuity and innovation. AI has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, from Mechanical Turk to the rise of expert systems and the emergence of deep learning. It will be exciting to see what new breakthroughs in AI will bring and how it will shape our world as we look to the future.