Evolution of AI: Past, Present, Future
Artificial intelligence or AI is a technology that has been studied since the 1950s. In fact, researchers were studying the technology years before the term artificial intelligence was coined. The evolution of AI gives one an idea of the potential and uses of AI and this is the past, present, and future of the technology.
Past
It may feel like artificial intelligence is a very recent development and that we have only now begun talking about it, but the concept of artificial intelligence can be traced back to the first half of the 20th century. According to an article titled, “The History of Artificial Intelligence” published by Harvard University in their Science in the News blog, there was a generation of scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers with the concept of AI culturally assimilated in their minds by the 1950s.
The article lists Alan Turing as one such individual. Turing was a British mathematician and logician who explored AI before the term was coined. It is believed that the earliest substantial work in the field was done by Turing and anyone working in AI-related fields, for instance an AI app development company, may be familiar with his 1950 paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.”
However, Turing’s work was delayed due to the inability of computers to store commands and the cost of computing. Things changed a few years later and the Logic Theorist, commonly referred to as the first AI programme, was written by Allen Newell, Cliff Shaw, and Herbert Simon in 1956. That year, John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky hosted the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence (DSRPAI), a conference for which McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence.
AI saw significant development from 1957 to 1974, with the improvement of machine learning algorithms and funding for research. However, researchers faced many obstacles during these years, for instance the lack of computational power to do anything substantial, and funding and research slowly dried up.
AI was picked up again in the 1980s and several landmark goals of AI were achieved during the 1990s and 2000s. A machine learning consultancy may refer to significant incidents like the one in 1997 where the reigning world chess champion and grand master Gary Kasparov lost to IBM’s chess playing computer programme, Deep Blue.
Present
Today, words like machine learning and big data are commonly used in conversation and interest in AI is shown beyond the tech industry. Organisations in energy, healthcare, apparel, finance, entertainment and other industries may use AI service providers to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their services. By working on machine learning consultancy with a company like ExentAI, for instance, companies can access services like data ingestion, text analytics, and predictive analysis.
In the present context, AI is used to improve customer service as well, with chatbot development being used for customer retention, workflow automation, and around-the-clock support. Day-to-day uses of artificial intelligence include self-driving cars, AI-enabled vacuum cleaners and other household equipment, and personal assistant robots.
Future
Considering what AI was in the 1950s and what it is today, there is no doubt that the technology holds great potential. As much as major developments have been made in artificial intelligence in recent times, an AI app development company like ExentAI can benefit greatly from studying the history of AI. It gives one an understanding of the potential early researchers saw in the technology and the factors that went into developing AI to what it is today.
Studying the past of AI and its evolution so far can also help AI service providers prepare for what the future of AI holds. AI service providers like ExentAI will consider the predictions made regarding artificial intelligence and study trends to understand how they can further expand the services they provide to various industries.AI language, for instance, is an area that will see more improvement in the future and a machine learning consultancy will look at further enhancing chatbot development. Self-driving or driverless vehicles will also see more development in the coming years and an AI app development company will look at ways to incorporate AI into businesses in order to ensure seamless and efficient processes and functions.
