The AI in Business Podcast A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence, and a Look Towards it's Future - with Stanford Researcher Dr. Nils Nilsson
Mar 1, 2015
Dr. Nils J. Nilsson, a retired Stanford computer science professor and pioneer in AI from the 1950s, shares captivating insights into the evolution of artificial intelligence. He discusses the Turing Test and the early advancements of the 50s and 60s, before diving into the setbacks of the AI Winter and the resurgence of expert systems and neural networks. Nils also warns about automation's impact on employment, highlights the risks of autonomous weapons, and advocates for proactive policy discussions to address these challenges.
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Early Rise, Winter, And Revival
- AI began with Turing's 1950 proposal and accelerated in the 1960s with labs at MIT, Stanford, and SRI making rapid progress.
- Progress stalled in the late 1970s, triggering an "AI winter" before later recoveries like expert systems and neural nets revived the field.
Data And Compute Spark Modern AI
- Big data and improved compute enabled breakthroughs in face, speech, and language tasks and reignited AI's takeoff.
- Autonomous vehicle contests (DARPA) further accelerated practical progress and attention to AI.
From Underpromise To Overworry
- Public concern flipped from "AI isn't good enough" to "AI may be too good" as capabilities advanced.
- Prominent figures voiced existential worries, but immediate takeover risks remain unlikely.
