Full History of AI (Timeline, Founder, Evolution, Development)

Artificial Intelligence is now an old concept that has evolved from merely being a term in the realm of science fiction to being our everyday reality that affects every facet of our lives. Researchers have been working on this technology for years, and it has witnessed several milestones and breakthroughs over the years. AI history and its timeline reflect its theoretical foundation, implementation, and advancements. 

In this blog, we will trace artificial intelligence history chronologically, highlighting all the important events, developments, and impacts.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved over time through the work of many researchers and scientists. It doesn't have a single inventor, but rather, it has developed gradually through the contributions of numerous individuals and milestones. 

Here are some key figures and moments in the history of AI:

• Alan Turing 

While not directly related to AI as we know it today, Alan Turing's concept of a theoretical computing machine, known as the Turing machine, laid the theoretical foundation for modern computers and computational processes, which are essential for AI.

• John McCarthy

John McCarthy is often credited with coining the term "artificial intelligence" and organizing the Dartmouth Workshop, where AI as a field was launched in the summer of 1956. McCarthy is considered one of the founding fathers of AI.

• Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy

These two researchers, along with others, made significant early contributions to AI research, including the development of the first AI programming language, LISP, by McCarthy.

• Arthur Samuel

Arthur Samuel is known for his work in machine learning and the development of the first self-learning program, which played checkers and improved its performance through experience.

• Herbert A. Simon and Allen Newell

They developed the Logic Theorist, a program that could prove mathematical theorems, and the General Problem Solver (GPS), a problem-solving program. Their work contributed to the development of AI problem-solving techniques.

• Joseph Weizenbaum

He created the ELIZA program, a natural language processing program that simulated conversation with a human. ELIZA is considered one of the early chatbots.

• Ray Kurzweil 

While not an inventor of AI, Ray Kurzweil is a notable figure in AI and futurism. He has made significant contributions to speech recognition and is known for his predictions about the future of AI and human-machine convergence.

Starting with the early history of AI, this was the time when the theoretical foundation of artificial intelligence was formed. Philosophers were trying to explain the human mind as a symbolic system. The modern field of AI started shaping up in the mid-20th century. 

• 1843

The world’s first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, proposed an idea explaining that machines can manipulate symbols, which marked the foundation of the fundamental concept of AI.

• 1936

Alan Turing introduced the concept of a universal machine, which later became the Turing Machine, a theoretical device capable of solving computations if provided with enough time and resources. This laid down the foundation of digital computers and the principle of computability.

• 1943

Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts came up with the first mathematical model of a neural network, which paved the way for learning machines.

• 1949

This was an important year in the history of artificial intelligence as Donald Hebb introduced a learning theory known as Hebbian learning. It updated the rule for modifying the connection strength between neurons. Also, it became the fundamental concept in the development of artificial neural networks.

In the mid-20th century, AI was born officially. This AI timeline also witnessed the introduction of the term ‘Artificial Intelligence.’ Let’s know about the evolution of artificial intelligence technology from 1950s to 1960s:

• 1950

Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test to determine a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior. In the same year, Claude Shannon published a paper on machine learning chess.

• 1955

Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon developed the first artificial intelligence program named Logic Theorist. This AI program not only proved 38 out of 52 math theorems but also found new and more elegant proofs of a few theorems.

• 1956

Dartmouth Conference officially introduced the term ‘Artificial Intelligence, and it was coined as an academic field. Also, American Computer scientist John McCarthy along with Marvin Minsky, Herbert Simon, and Allen Newell, became leaders in AI research.

• 1957

Frank Rosenblatt invented the first artificial neuron, the Perceptron.

• 1958 

John McCarthy developed Lisp, a popular programming language in AI research.

• 1959 

Continuing the development of AI, Arthur Samuel created a self-learning program to play checkers, which demonstrates the power of machine learning.

• 1965

Joseph Weizenbaum developed ELIZA, which is a natural language processing computer program. It demonstrates the potential of AI when it comes to understanding and generating human language.

During this timeline of artificial intelligence, high-level computer languages, such as LISP, FORTRAN, and COBOL, were invented, and the enthusiasm for AI was high at the time.

Although AI witnessed initial excitement, it lacked significant progress in the coming years. Hence, the artificial intelligence timeline between the 1970s to 1980s is known as AI Winter. It was the time when computer scientists had to deal with the shortage of funding from the government for AI research, and there was a decreased interest in the field.

• 1972

In this year, one of the first expert systems, Dendral, was developed, which marked the shift toward addressing specific issues.

• 1980

The Japanese Fifth Generation Computer Systems project set the goal of developing an intelligent computer but failed to meet the target.

• 1986

The re-introduction of the backpropagation algorithm lead to a resurgence in neural network research.

Thanks to the emergence of the Internet, we have massive data at our disposal, which fuels the development of machine learning algorithms. Here’s a look at the evolution of artificial intelligence between 1990s to 2000s.

• 1997

Deep Blue by IBM defeated the world chess champion Garry Kasparov, which was a memorable moment in the development of AI.

• 1999 

Sony introduced AIBO, a robotic pet, which showcased the capabilities of AI.

• Early 2000s 

Machine learning techniques, such as support vector machines, become popular.

• 2005

Stanford's DARPA Grand Challenge sees autonomous vehicles navigate a desert course.

• 2011

IBM's Watson wins the quiz show Jeopardy!, showcasing natural language processing capabilities.

• 2012

Geoffrey Hinton's deep learning breakthroughs lead to significant advances in image recognition.

• 2014

Facebook AI Research (FAIR) is established, focusing on deep learning and AI research.

• 2016

AlphaGo program by Google beat the world champion Go player, Lee Sedol, which is a significant moment in the evolution of AI as it showcased the ability to learn and make decisions. 

• 2018

This year marked the beginning of the journey of Generative pre-trained transformers (GPT) as OpenAI, a renowned AI company in the USA, introduced the first-ever GPT model. This was a prominent moment in the field of generative artificial intelligence. 

Also, IBM’s Project Debater debated on different complex topics with two master debaters and performed great. 

Google showcased an AI program known as Duplex, a virtual assistant that took a hairdresser appointment on call, and the lady on the other side didn’t even realize she was talking to a machine.

The evolution of artificial intelligence over the years has made the impossible possible today in the 21st century. Let’s know about the latest developments in the history of AI timeline:

• GPT Characteristics

GPT is a type of large language model (LLM) that uses the transformer architecture. These models are trained on a large number of unlabelled text data, so they can generate content that closely resembles human writing. As of 2023, LLMs that share these features are broadly referred to as GPTs.

• GPT-n Series

OpenAI has launched a series of advanced GPT models called the GPT-n series. Every model in the series is more capable than its predecessor due to its increased size and training. 

These advanced models form the basis for task-specific GPT systems, which include fine-tuned models for following instructions. One of the applications of these models is ChatGPT chatbot services. 

• March 2023

The latest development in the AI evolution is GPT-4, which represents the current success of GPT development by OpenAI.

• Other GPT Models

Many organizations have adopted the term GPT. For example, EleutherAI developed a series of GPT foundation models, and Cerebras recently developed seven models. Also, companies from different industries have developed varied GPT models customized according to their requirements, such as Bloomberg's "BloombergGPT" for finance and Salesforce's "EinsteinGPT" for customer relationship management (CRM).

Artificial intelligence evolution is extensive, and the technology has witnessed major changes over the years. It’s still growing and evolving, and you can expect several AI developments