A Timeline of AI; From Fiction to Reality

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a topic of fascination and speculation for a long time, often portrayed in science fiction movies and books as a futuristic technology that is beyond human imagination. However, AI is not just a product of imagination anymore; it has become a reality. In this blog, we’ll journey through time to explore how AI evolved from a concept to a reality.

The Early Days of AI

We can trace the roots of AI can back to the early 20th century when engineers and scientists started exploring the possibility of creating machines that could perform complex tasks with minimal human intervention. During the 1900s and 1950s, people began to prepare for AI and questioned whether it was possible to create an artificial brain. In the 1920s, the word robot was coined in a Czech play and the first Japanese robot was named Gakutensoku and built by Japanese professor Makoto Nishimura.

Waves of Excitement

The period from 1950 to 1956 is when AI really started to take shape. In 1950, the Mathematician Alan Turing published Computing Machinery and Intelligence, which American computer scientist Arthur Samuel followed with the development of the first AI program to play checkers. American mathematician and computer scientist John McCarthy then used the term Artificial Intelligence for the first time in the world in 1956.

AI kept maturing, and from 1957 to 1979, we saw significant progress. John McCarthy created the first programming language for AI research List Processing (LISP) still used today. The term Machine Learning developed during this period, and the first industrial robot, Unimate, started working at General Motors and took care of repetitive automotive metalworking and welding processes. In 1965, expert systems appeared, copying the decision-making process of experts, and ELIZA, the first chatbot, was released. Natural Language Processing also improved, and AI could understand sentences in children’s books. In 1975, AI made the first scientific discoveries in chemistry. In the late 1970s, members of scientific societies founded the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

The 1980s were a period of significant growth for AI. The AAAI had its first conference at Stanford. The breakthroughs in research and additional funding supporting the research made the use of expert systems and deep learning more popular. Deep learning allows computers to learn from their mistakes and make independent decisions. However, the AAAI warned about the AI Winter, a period where funding and interest would decrease. It happened in the late 1980s to mid-1990s, leading to a decline in interest in AI and marking the end of its golden era.

Developing AI

Between 1993 and 2011, technology saw impressive advancements made in AI despite a lack of funding during the AI Winter. The era saw the introduction of the first AI system that could beat a reigning world chess champion, as well as the integration of AI into everyday life through the first commercially available speech recognition software on Windows computers and the release of the first Roomba.

Today in History

From 2012 to the present day, there has been a surge in the use of AI tools such as virtual assistants, search engines, and other AI innovations. This era has popularized deep learning and big data and has seen many notable advancements, such as the development of the first robot with a realistic human appearance and the ability to replicate emotions. Additionally, in these latest years, we have been able to find ways to implement AI in the automotive industry with the use of AI-powered wearable exoskeletons that designers can wear to help develop better safety and comfort in cars, self-driving cars, virtual test drives, AI-powered video or lead management and the list keeps going on. Tech leaders at the Automotive Website Awards 2023 showed us the power of AI and how in recent years, within the field, we have the feeling that we’re getting closer to seeing these developments unfold in front of us.

So, what’s next?

The future of AI is one of endless possibilities. As machine learning algorithms evolve, we can expect AI to become more integrated into our daily lives, transforming how we work, play, and interact with the world around us. Using Konect.ai, automotive dealers can now solve some of the most tedious or mundane tasks sales departments, showroom workers, and even general managers face. Even if AI is gaining ground in our lives, we need to remember that we’re the ones that take control of what the AI is capable of doing. The main point is to see a balance in AI taking the heavy lifting off human hands at the right time and working to support us. Want to learn more about how these AI systems can work for your dealership group? Book call time with our team here.

Sources:

Ajunwa Ifeoma, Berger Guy, Boutilier Craig, Currie Morgan, Doshi-Velez Finale, Hadfield
Gillian, C. Horowitz Michael, Isbell Charles, Kitano Hiroaki, Levy Karen, L. Littman
Michael, Lyons Terah, Mitchel Melanie, Shah Julie, Sloman Steven, Vallor Shannon,
Walsh Toby "SQ2. What Are the Most Important Advances in AI?" Standford University, 9
Jan. 2021, ai100.stanford.edu/2021-report/standing-questions-and-responses/sq2-what-are-
most-important-advances-ai. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Image by rawpixel.com. 3 April, 2023, <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/robot-handshake-human-background-futuristic-digital-age_17850426.htm#query=machine%20learning&position=35&from_view=search&track=ais">Image by rawpixel.com</a> on Freepik. Accessed 3 April, 2023

Lutkevich, Ben. "AI Winter." TechTarget,
www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/AI-winter#:~:text=This%20ushered
%20in%20the%20first,then%2C%20rule%2Dbased%20reasoning. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
N.A, "What Is the History of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?" Tableau,
www.tableau.com/data-insights/ai/history#:~:text=Birth%20of%20AI%3A
%201950%2D1956,used%20to%20measure%20computer%20intelligence. Accessed 21
Mar. 2023.

Rauch, Stuart. "AI in the Automotive Industry: A 2023 Outlook." Simplilearn, 15 Mar.
2023, www.simplilearn.com/ai-in-automative-article#:~:text=Transportation%20benefits
%20from%20the%20use,falling%20asleep%20at%20the%20wheel. Accessed 21 Mar.
2023.

World Economic Forum. "Empowering AI Leadership: AI C-Suite Toolkit." WeForum, 1
Jan. 2022, www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Empowering_AI_Leadership_2022.pdf.
Accessed 17 Mar. 2023.