Gabriella Sandoval, Events Liaison and Manager
Beyond the multiplex ideas of robots and technology would upspring the AI that we have come to know and use today. But, before we can fully understand just how AI has improved over many decades, we must continue analyzing the groundwork that has enabled AI to develop to where it’s at now.
The rapid growth of technological advancements in the area of AI would continue to thrive in the timeframe of the 1950’s-60’s. This period sparked creation, where scientists focused on programming languages, and when a plethora of books and movies explored deeper ideas of self-functioning robots. The concept of AI quickly became mainstream, with many inventors seeking to create the “next best thing”.
Creations in the late 1950’s-60’s:
In 1958, computer scientist John McCarthy created List Processing (LISP), the first programming language for AI research, which is still used today.
In 1961, The first industrial robot named “Unimate" started working at a General Motors in New Jersey, responsible for transporting die casings and welding parts on cars (which was said to be too dangerous for humans to do).
In 1965, Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg created the first “Expert System” which was a form of AI designed to replicate the thinking and decision-making abilities of human experts.
The Invention of Chatbots:
If you’ve ever seen the movie Iron Man (best Avenger by the way), then you're quite familiar with Tony Stark’s AI assistant named Jarvis. Stark’s virtual personal assistant may have seemed like a fairly new idea, when in reality, the concept of chatbots began in the 1960’s. In 1966, computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum created the first “chatterbot” (later shortened to chatbot), ELIZA; a program that imitated a therapist. ELIZA used Natural Language Processing (NLP), and tricked users into thinking they were conversing with a human being, rather than a chatterbot. How astonished would you be to find out that your online therapist is in fact not a human being, but rather a computer system?
After ELIZA, there were other successful Bots that were made including: PARRY in 1972, RACTER in 1983 and then JABBERWACKY in 2005. All bots were created for the purpose of mimicking human interaction.
AI in the 1970’s:
The 1970’s was an era filled with similar improvements, including the world's first full-scale anthropomorphic robot, called Wabot-1; created by a Japanese professor named Ichiro Kato in 1970. This robot consisted of a limb-control system, a vision system, and a conversation system, the closest a robot could come to achieving full human function. By the late 1970’s, James L. Adams created “The Stanford Cart” which became one of the first examples of an autonomous vehicle; which eventually was able to successfully navigate a room full of chairs without human interference.
Challenges with Funding for AI:
By the mid-1960s, AI research in the United States was being funded primarily by the Department of Defense. However, by the 1970’s, the U.S. government began to show little interest in continuing to fund AI research. Fortunately, in 1979, The American Association of Artificial Intelligence which is now known as the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) was founded. This nonprofit was created to assist in advancing the development of AI, which also produced a means of funding.
Reflecting on the mid and mid-late 1900’s, it’s clear that these time periods laid the essential groundwork for AI’s significant evolution in the years that followed. There’s more to be discussed about the enthralling topic of AI, so stay tuned for part three of this AI series!