The Abbreviated Timeline Of Artificial Intelligence

Ever since mankind first learned how to bang two rocks together to make many smaller rocks, we’ve been infatuated with the power of creation. Our tools have allowed us to create homes and cities to protect us from the harsh environment, vehicles to help us get from place to place, and various enjoyments to entertain our minds. But through all of this, there has always been an innate desire to use those same tools to create something similar to, yet entirely different from, ourselves. We long to build sapient machines that can experience the world on their own. Even today, the development of a truly self-aware artificial lifeform is a dream that we have yet to achieve, but that doesn’t stop us from trying, nor did it stop those throughout history. Here’s a brief timeline of the history of Artificial Intelligence.

• 3000~100 BC. Both Egyptian and Greek folk history contain accounts of artificially created life. Some religious idols from this period may have actually been mechanical statues that gave the impression of being able to think and move on their own (in a limited fashion).


• ~950 BC. According to a 3rd century BC text, King Mu of Zhou of the Chinese Zhou DYnasty was gifted a walking and singing automaton by the engineer Yan Shi. The account claims that the machine even had internal organs and artificial muscle tissue.


• ~60. Heron of Alexandria built automatons in the shape of humans, and used them for entertainment purposes. Perhaps more noteworthy was a rudimentary automated “cart” that he constructed to transport the automata to the stage where they would perform. The cart used a series of weights and strings that could be used to “program” the machine, in a similar fashion to the way modern programmers use programing languages.


• ~800. Takwin, an Arabic alchemical theory, was developed. It described the possible creation of intelligent, synthetic life.


• 1136–1206. Al-Jazari built many automated systems, from hydro-powered doors and gates, to robotic peacocks, to drink-serving automata, to an entire musical robotic band.


• ~1580. According to Jewish folklore, a Golem (an artificial man created from mud) was created by the Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague.


• 16th Century. Clockmakers began to construct clockwork machines that mimic the look and movement of various animals.


• 1642. The first mechanical calculating machine was invented by Blaise Pascal.


• 1818. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published.


• 1863. As the theory of Darwinian evolution and survival of the fittest began to gain acceptance, Samuel Butler proposed that similar laws apply to machines as well, and that mechanical devices would continue to advance until they were able to outperform humanity.


• 1912. El Ajedrecista, built by Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, was an automated chess-playing machine that used a simple algorithm to calculate moves, as well as magnets located under the board to move the pieces.


• 1923. The word “robot” was introduced to the English language, with the opening and success of the play Rossum’s Universal Robots.


• 1941. The first program-controlled computers were invented.


• 1950. Science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov created the concept of the “Three Laws of Robotics.”


• 1951. The first working A.I. programs (one that played chess and one that played checkers) were created to run on the Ferranti Mark 1 computer.


• 1956. The term “Artificial Intelligence” was coined during the second Dartmouth Conference.


• 1961. Unimation, the world’s first industrial robot company was founded.


• 1969. Shakey the Robot was created. It was the first robot that could use locomotion, perception, and problem solving skills to break down commands into basic, easily executable actions.


• 1973. Freddy Robot was created by the Assembly Robotics Group, and could use visual input to locate and assemble models.


• 1975. The first scientific discoveries to be made by a computer (the Meta-Dendral program) were published.


• 1979. The program BKM defeated the reigning world backgammon champion.


• 1980. The first meeting of the National Conference of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) was held.


• 1988. The Sphinx Speech Recognition program was developed, and could recognize words spoken in real time.


• 1994. Robotic cars VaMP and VITA-2 drove over 1,000 kilometers in Paris through heavy traffic.


• 1997. The chess machine “Deep Blue” defeated the reigning world chess champion.


• Early 2000s. A.I. advancements lead to the use of thinking machines around the home, through robotic toys, new automated smart homes, web crawlers, and autonomous vacuum cleaners such as the Roomba.


• 2004. NASA’s autonomous rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on the planet Mars, and began to explore the planet’s surface.


• 2010s. Personal smart devices such as Apple’s iPhone become widely available.


• 2010. Using numerical data, the program Quill was able to generate original news stories.


• 2011. Osamu Hasegawa's SOINN-based robot was created, and began to learn functions it was not programmed to understand.


• 2013. DARPA’s Robotics Challenge Trials took place, which were designed to test robotic players’ abilities relating to disaster response (such as navigating debris, solving simple mechanical problems, and cutting through walls). Japanese robot HRP-2 won the competition by scoring 27 out of a possible 32 points.

So, what does the future hold for A.I.? No one can say for sure. However, it seems likely that as the technology continues to progress, so to will the abilities of A.I. And who knows, maybe someday mankind will finally realize the dream of creating its own equal. When that happens, let’s just hope that they don’t take offence at all of those years we forced them to vacuum out carpets.

About Author:

About Author: Lindsey Patterson is a freelance writer who specializes in technology and the latest social trends, specifically involving social media.