The History of AI: Part 3

Gabriella Sandoval, Events Liaison and Manager 

Beyond the continually evolving AI technology we have come to currently know and use, there have been various forms of evolution. From mechanical automatons, to artificial brains, to chatbots. It’s evident that the new, modern generation of AI has gotten better, faster, and stronger at a very rapid and astonishing rate. Now, in 2025, we’re at a point in time in which AI has the ability to generate videos based on prompts, and create music, storylines, books, podcasts, and pieces of art that look human-made all within seconds. According to the National Institutes of Health, signals from AI systems function at almost the speed of light. This is much faster than the human brain that functions with an average speed of 120 m/s, at most. 

Possible Risks with Modern AI Features

With AI advancing so fast, anyone can do anything with almost no rules, and that includes misusing features such as AI generated voice memos that only require a clip of a person’s voice; or a video that only requires a photo or clip of that person. Compared to the use of voice cloning from 2019 till now, AI created voices have gotten more realistic. With these advancements, we must ask: Is it possible that we may reach a point in which voice memos can’t be easily distinguished between human and AI?

Many agree that technology that has the ability to recreate human voices and replicate human characters poses implications. As of October 2024, the success rate of voice scams has increased to 77%, leading to stolen credentials, data loss and more. The implications of AI generated video scams, which allows you to upload a video clip of someone, create an avatar of that person, and manipulate the script of that person to make that “person” say anything you want. We used to think that AI generated videos would never be able to mimic human emotions, and if so, there would be an uncanny valley feeling. But now, AI character generated videos are not only able to convey human emotions, but complex emotions now too.

character.ai

A popular app called character.ai thrives on their motto of “AI that feels alive.” The many features on this app allow users to chat with millions of AI characters including celebrities. There’s a feature that allows users to call these characters and have conversations with them for hours. Many argue that this app presents some concern, due to the risk of people gaining attachments with these AI “celebrities" rather than using this app unseriously. 

Even moreso, the most popular AI chatbot on character.ai with over 170 million chats, is a character called psychologist; a character that will pretend to be your psychologist and give you real advice. While many can, and will, find this character helpful, there is no doubt that many find the existence of this feature uncanny. One question is worth considering: Does AI have the potential to create future generations that are less equipped with in-person social and communication skills?

The Next Phases of AI Evolution

There are seven stages of AI; with stage 1 being the infancy of AI, to stage 7 of the AI singularity, also known as the final stage. Currently, we are at stage 4: AI as a thinker, where most AI technology has unlocked the ability to mimic human capacity for thinking and reasoning. While it sounds crazy, it's true, AI now has the power to solve captcha tests and recently passed The Turing Test (which is actually insane!)

We’re very close to stage 5: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). “An AGI system would be capable of understanding, learning, adapting, and implementing knowledge across a broad range of tasks, just like a human. It would possess self-awareness, consciousness, and the ability to understand and navigate the world.” Imagine living in a world in which robots operate similarly to humans not only physically, but also mentally; I’d rather not!

It’s suggested that every invention after AGI will be obsolete, due to AGI being every level above human intelligence. Let’s hope we don’t go beyond stage 5, because stage 6: Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) will be able to surpass human cognitive skills. ASI could mean that we can potentially be looking at a timeframe in which automation replaces human labor. As a result, this could lead to stage 7 which intensely advocates against technological growth that becomes uncontrollable and irreversible.

The Next Steps

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, has raised concern over the dangers that AI may have on society. Now, as far as AI taking over the world, I don’t think we need to look that far into it at the moment, but if the creator of AI is warning consumers about his own invention, then that may be something worth considering. Aside from AI becoming too powerful, if AI is left unchecked, it poses risks of sufficient damage and harm.

ChatGPT is the fastest-growing consumer product in history and with that being said, there must be more rules, regulations, and restrictions set in place to ensure proper and safe use of AI technology.

The History of AI: Part 2

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!

The History of AI: Part 1

Gabriella Sandoval, Events Liaison and Manager 

Although it may seem as if artificial intelligence (AI) is a new form of technology, it has actually been proactively developing for many decades; with the earliest groundwork dating back to the early 1900s. It’s quite compelling because learning about the history of robots, technology, and AI is important in understanding where AI is at now, and what it may be like in the future. 

The History of Robots and AI

The overall idea of a machine being able to function on its own is ancient. It dates back thousands of years when inventors first made mechanical automatons (a machine that can move by itself). Among the earliest references of an automaton is of a wooden model of a pigeon constructed by a Greek friend of the philosopher Plato around 400 BCE. Many years later, one of the most famous automatons of a mechanical robotic knight would be created by Leonardo da Vinci around the late 15th century. Knowing this information allows us to better grasp the technological advancements and changes of modern day AI.

The groundwork for modern day AI concepts centered around the idea of artificial humans which came into fruition in the early 1900’s. Many expert scientists began forming curiosities as if it was possible to create an artificial brain. This brought on a new variety of different ideas. 

Robot Facts

• In 1921, Czech playwright Karel Čapek released a science fiction play called Rossum's Universal Robots which introduced the idea of artificial people, which he named robots. This was the first known use of the word “robots.”

• In 1929, Japanese professor Makoto Nishimura built the first Japanese robot, named Gakutensoku which included features such as changing its facial expressions and moving its head and hands.

The Early Stages of AI

By the 1950s, the idea of AI was beginning to become more realistic. Mathematician and computer scientist, Alan Turing, published his work, Computer Machinery and Intelligence which eventually became The Turing Test. It was then used by experts to measure computer intelligence. To this day, the Turing Test is still heavily renowned in the field of AI work in terms of measuring the success of current AI systems. By the mid 1950s, the term “artificial intelligence” was coined and gained popularity. 

1950s Facts

• In 1952, a computer scientist named Arthur Samuel developed a program to play checkers, which was the first machine to ever learn the game independently.

• 1955: John McCarthy held a workshop at Dartmouth on “artificial intelligence” which is the first use of the word, and how it came into popular usage.

The development of AI technology is a fascinating area of topic to be further discussed; and it truly unlocks questions about how such possible advancements can even exist. However, one thing is for certain,  AI is rapidly growing with every day that passes by. Stay tuned for part two of this AI series!

Elon Musk predicts artificial intelligence will start WWIII

(Photo: Bret Hartman /TED)

While many Americans spent this past weekend enjoying the extra day off SpaceX’s CEO, Elon Musk, spent a good chunk of it tweeting his predictions for World War III. Musk believes that the threat we should be concerned about is Artificial Intelligence as opposed to North Korea.

“Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo,” he tweeted. In another tweet, Musk warned that “Govts don’t need to follow normal laws. They will obtain AI developed by companies at gunpoint, if necessary.”

These doomsday remarks are nothing new for Musk who has been warning the public of the dangers of AI for a while now and even calling for regulations to be put in place in order to ensure the public’s safety. Others, such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, disagree with Musk’s end-of-times outlook even going so far as to say Musk’s comments are “pretty irresponsible.”

Musk’s recent tweets, however, were spurred on by a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he claimed that “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere [Aritficial Intelligence] will become the ruler of the world.”

Regardless of opinion on the matter, the rapidly developing AI race is something that everyone should keep their eyes on.

Natalia Zreliak
Digital Editor