The Birth of AI
Drew Thurlow · Focal Press eBooks · 2025
This chapter traces the origins and evolution of artificial intelligence, beginning with the pioneering work of Alan Turing and the subsequent milestones that shaped the field. Turings groundbreaking contributions, from the conceptualization of the Turing Machine to his wartime codebreaking efforts and the formulation of the Turing Test, laid the theoretical and philosophical foundation for AI. His vision of machine intelligence inspired early neural network research and connected computational principles with biological systems. The chapter discusses the influential 1956 Dartmouth Summer Project, marking the birth of AI as a formal discipline and introducing the term artificial intelligence. Led by John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, and others, the workshop catalyzed early developments in machine learning, neural networks, and expert systems. The narrative explores the oscillating progress of AI, from initial breakthroughs like perceptrons and backpropagation to the funding booms and busts of AI throughout the 20th century. The chapter also outlines the basic elements that are present in any modern AI system, while technological advancements in GPUs, neural networks, and training data are highlighted as critical enablers of modern AIs resurgence. The chapter concludes with the global and ethical dimensions of AI development, framing it as the pivotal force poised to redefine industries and societies in the 21st century.