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Artificial Intelligence Research Guide

This guide offers information to help Library users learn basic information about AI.

Overview of AI History

1940's -1950s: Foundations of AI

  • The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) was first proposed by Alan Turing in the 1950s, when he posed the question "can machines think?"

  • Early AI research focused on creating programs that could perform tasks such as playing chess or solving math problems.

1960s - 1970s: Early Development 1960's computer screen which says "Eliza" and demonstrates a conversation between a human and the computer

  • 1964: Joseph Weizenbaum creates ELIZA, a program that simulates a conversation with a human - a precursor to modern-day chatbots.

1980's - 1990: AI Winter and Expert Systems 

  • In the 1980s, expert systems were developed, which were computer programs designed to mimic the decision-making abilities of a human expert in a specific domain. 
    • Expert systems start to be used in medicine, engineering, and business
  • In the late 1990s machine learning became an increasingly important part of AI research, with the development of algorithms that could learn from data.

    • 1997: IBM's Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

2000s: The Genesis of Generative AI

2010's: Rise of AI and Breakthroughs

  • Deep learning emerged as a powerful tool for AI, allowing computers to learn from large amounts of data and make predictions. 

  • 2011: IBM's Watson defeats human champions on the quiz show Jeopardy!


     

  • 2015: birth of OpenAI.

2020's: Generative AI Reaches New Horizons

  • 2020: launch of GPT-3 by OpenAI opened new avenues in human-machine interactions, fostering richer engagements.

  • 2023: launch of ChatGPT-4 and Google’s Bard taking conversational AI to new levels.

  • Today, AI is being used in a wide range of applications, including:
    • speech recognition
    • image classification
    • autonomous vehicles
    • healthcare
    • finance

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