Intelligent Machines (Audio) IM 854: Welcome to the Pitt - AI: A Brand or a Breakthrough?
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Jan 22, 2026 Join historian Thomas Haigh, an expert on the history of computing and AI, as he challenges the myth of the 'AI winter' and uncovers the strategies behind the branding of AI. Haigh explains how early failures set the stage for today’s breakthroughs and highlights the shift from symbolic AI to modern machine learning. He also critiques the concentration of AI resources within big tech firms and warns about the potential risks of hype surrounding AGI, all while weaving in insights from his book on AI history.
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Guest Joins From Hospital Bed
- Jeff Jarvis joined the show from a hospital bed after a fall and serious infection.
- He described ambulance transport, tests, and IV antibiotics, noting how urgent care discovered a staph infection.
AI Began As A Brand, Not A Fixed Field
- The term "artificial intelligence" was coined as a brand to attract funding and attention in 1955.
- That brand has repeatedly shifted meaning as technologies and actors changed over decades.
AI's Techniques Have Cycled Over Time
- Approaches labeled "AI" have swung between neural networks and symbolic systems over decades.
- Technologies like pattern recognition, machine learning, and deep learning were at times outside the AI brand and later reclaimed it.
