A Brief History and Evolution of Artificial Intelligence

The word AI is creating buzzwords nowadays. Everyone is talking about AI. This word has developed a strange curiosity in newspapers, social media, TV, and the internet. Even this is a common topic for discussion among groups of people. A lot of questions about AI sprout up in my mind. But the first question that came to my mind was, “What is AI?” Do we know the significance of the word AI? What is the history of AI? How does it work and what it can do for us? Is this technology human-friendly, or is the very existence of humans at risk? 

So, we should not waste time finding the answers to all the questions. I will help you solve the mystery of AI. Let’s read one by one. 

What is AI?

AI is artificial intelligence. As the name suggests, it is an artificial brain that can think like a human brain. The very purpose of developing AI is to do tasks considered SMART.  Learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and language comprehension are all examples of cognitive abilities. There are various components of Artificial Intelligence. The diagram below will make this clear.

 

 AI is often regarded as modern-day technology, but this assumption is incorrect. Let’s examine the history of AI.

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History of AI

It was just a vague idea in its inception. When humans have successfully built computers, the term AI also sprouts up. Back in the 1950s, Alan Turing published a paper on machine intelligence. The concept of AI came into the picture for the first time as a question. Is it really possible, or is it just an imagination? In 1956, a conference at Dartmouth College officially launched AI research as a serious field. After the 1950s, John McCarthy came into the picture as the Father of AI.

You’ll know how AI was born and matured and how it continues its journey to the future. Hence, let’s get straight into the topic. I have divided the evolution of AI into a human life cycle for a better understanding. As if scientists are trying to create a human-like brain, thus it would be easy to understand the evolution of AI.

1) IDEA GENERATION PERIOD (1900 TO 1950)

Although the computer had not yet been invented, humans started thinking about a machine that could act like humans. Maybe it was a vague idea then, but who knows, it may become a reality one day. 

a) 1921:- Mr. Karel Capek introduced artificial people in a science function play named “Rossum’s         Universal Robot.” 

b) 1929:- After a few years, Japanese professor Makoto Nishimura created the first robot, Gakutensoku.

c) 1949: Edmund Callis Berkley published a book, “Giant Brains, or Machines that Think,” which featured some models of the computer compared to the human brain.

2) Birth Phase (1950 to 1956)

This is the period when the actual concept of AI came into the picture. It was a vague idea earlier, but it has started taking shape. Few scientists believed this idea and started working on it, which led to few inventions. 

a) 1950:- In his book Computer Machinery and Intelligence, Mr Alan Turing proposed a machine intelligence test, commonly known as the “Turing Test.“

b) 1952:-  Arthur Samuel, a computer scientist, created a computer checkers game as the first self-learning program.

c) 1956:- In 1956, a small group of scientists gathered for the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, which was the birth of this field of research. A mathematics professor at the college, Mr. John McCarthy, used the word “Artificial Intelligence” for the very first time. 

3) Infant Phase (1957 to 1961)

In this phase, McCarthy introduced AI’s first programming language, LISP. Machine Learning and robots were also introduced to perform complex industrial tasks. Now, AI was ready to take off, but many challenges remained.

a) 1958:- Mr. John McCarthy created the first programming language, “LISP.”

b) 1959:- In this year, Arthur Samuel first introduced the term “machine learning.” He used this term while speaking on teaching machines to play chess better than humans.

c) 1961:- “Unimate” The first industrial robot was produced for complex industrial tasks. 

4) Juvenile Phase (1965 to 1979)

This is the starting point of a modern version of AI (which we are using right now). The philosophy behind AI was that it would be a replica of the human brain that can think and act like humans have started taking shape. Some futuristic inventions like chatbots, deep learning, and autonomous vehicles were invented.  

a) 1965:- Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg created an “expert system” that enables AI to think and make decisions like humans.

b) 1966:- Joseph Weizenbaum created the first Chatterbot (Chatbot) based on NLP (Natural Language Processing) to chat with humans. This is possible due to AI’s thinking ability. 

c) 1968:- Soviet mathematician Alexey Ivakhnenko first presented the idea of “Deep Learning” in 1968 when he published his paper, “Group Method of Data Handling,” in the journal “Avtomatika.”

d) 1973:- This is the year experts reported on AI winter. Government funding and AI research decreased. 

e) 1979:- The first example of an autonomous vehicle, “Stanford Cart,” was constructed by James L. Adams. Also, this year, AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence) was established to support & regularize AI research and its usage. 

5) Emergence of Modern AI ( 1980 to 1986)

Since AAAI was already established, it has started showing results as progress in AI research and government funding. 

a) 1980:- The first Expert System entered in the commercial market, XCON. 

b) 1984:- AAAI report about upcoming AI Winter.

c) 1985:- AARON, the first autonomous program launched by AAAI.

d) 1986:- Ernst Dickmann and his team at Bundeswehr University of Munich created a driverless car. Without a human driver, this car could go up to 55 mph on obstacle-free roads.

6) AI Winter Phase ( 1987 to 1993)

AAAI has already warned about AI winter. It happened due to setbacks in the LISP-based hardware. 

a) 1987:- LISP companies failed because of the availability of cost-effective hardware provided by Apple and IBM. 

b) 1988:- Jabberwacky, a chatbot, was launched by Rollo Carpenter. Interestingly, this chatbot can converse with humans.

7) Preadult Phase (1993 to 2011)

I deliberately named it the winter period because it is not the end of AI. In the preadult phase, AI again showed its power, and researchers started showing interest. During this period, we can see many inventions and progress in the AI industry. The most significant use of AI in space missions was NASA’s on-Mars mission.  

a) 1997:- Deep Blue, an AI program prepared by IBM, won a chess match against a human. Now, AI can think and recognize voices for the first time.  

b) 2000:- Professor Cynthia Breazeal built a terminator-type robot called “Kismet,” a machine that can recognize and simulate emotions. The name Kismet comes from a Turkish word meaning “fate” or sometimes “luck.”

c) 2002:- AI-powered tools are now entering the market. For instance, Roomba is a vacuum cleaner that can do some household chores.

d) 2004: The year had tremendous achievements. NASA, a space research organization, relied on AI’s power to launch two rovers on Mars.

e) 2006:- Private players such as X (Twitter), Meta, and Netflix started using AI techniques on their platforms. 

f) 2010:- XBOX 360 Kinet, gaming hardware prepared by Microsoft, can track human body movements and be used in gaming directions. 

g) 2011:- Apple launched its revolutionary virtual assistant Siri.

8) Adult Phase (2012 to 2024)

The most revolutionary phase of artificial intelligence is when the speed of inventions and usage of AI is rapid.

a) 2012:- A neural network has been developed for more human-like work. 

b) 2015:- As AI grew over a period and became more accessible, it became pretty apparent the misuse of this technology and work against humans only. With due consideration, an MOU was signed by more than 3000 people not to use AI in the development of autonomous weapons.

c) 2016:- “Sophia,” a humanoid robot prepared by Hanson Robotics, can see and act like humans.

d) 2020:- We can see significant usage of Deep Learning. Now, AI is capable enough to write code, poetry, blogs, content, and other writing tasks. 

e) 2022:- ChatGPT and DELL-E types of software were launched, which are most advanced in writing and generating images from prompts, respectively.  

f) 2024:- This year is marked by tremendous innovations and the usage of AI in various sectors. Google Gemini & Veo, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT 4, text-to-image, text-to-video, and many other AI applications launched in the market. The development of AI is not limited to just computers; it has significantly impacted various fields, including medicine, manufacturing, space missions, construction, and smart homes. These sectors are all witnessing the integration of AI technologies, enhancing efficiency and innovation. 

Conclusion

A human can do anything it wants. God has honored us with a brain which has tremendous power to think. It allows us to analyze, create, and innovate, making it one of the greatest gifts we have. The creation of AI is the most prominent example of the power of the human brain. But apparently, we need to be very cautious with the use of artificial intelligence. We should not encourage such innovations which can destroy the very existence of humans. Now, there is an extreme need for strict rules & regulations in terms of research & implementation of AI by every single country across the globe. 

You can share your thoughts & feedback below. I would be happy to have a conversation with you. 

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