History of Artificial Intelligence

History of Artificial Intelligence

Maad M. Mijwel

Computer science, college of science,

University of Baghdad

Baghdad, Iraq

April 2015

I. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, incredible progress has been made in computer science and AI. Watson, Siri or Deep Learning show that AI systems are now delivering services that must be considered intelligent and creative. And there are fewer and fewer companies today that can do without artificial intelligence if they want to optimize their business or save money.

AI systems are undoubtedly very useful. As the world becomes more complex, we need to leverage our human resources and high-quality computer systems help. This also applies to applications that require intelligence. The other side of the AI medal is: The possibility that a machine might possess intelligence scares many. Most people believe that intelligence is something unique, which is what distinguishes Homo sapiens. But if intelligence can be mechanized, what is unique about humans and what sets it apart from the machine? The quest for an artificial copy of man and the complex of questions involved are not new. The reproduction and imitation of thought already occupied our ancestors. From the sixteenth century, it was teeming with legends and the reality of artificial creatures. Homunculi, mechanical automata, the golem, the Mälzel chess automaton, or Frankenstein were all imaginative or real attempts in the past centuries to artificially produce intelligences and to imitate what is essential to us. 

The idea of making inanimate objects into intelligent beings by giving life a long time is fascinating the mind of mankind. Ancient Greeks had myths about robotics, and Chinese and Egyptian engineers made automatons. We can see the traces of the beginning of modern artificial intelligence as an attempt to define the classical philosophers' system of human thought as a symbolic system. However, the field of artificial intelligence was not formally established until 1956. In 1956, a conference "Artificial Intelligence" was held for the first time in Hanover, New Hampshire, at Dartmouth College. Cognitive scientist Marvin Minsky at MIT and other scientists participating in the conference were quite optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. As Minsky stated in his book "AI: The Tumultuous Search for Artificial Intelligence": "In a generation, the problem of artificial intelligence creation will be solved at a significant level."

One of the most important visionaries and theoreticians was Alan Turing (1912-1954): in 1936, the British mathematician proved that a universal calculator - now known as the Turing machine - is possible. Turing's central insight is that such a machine is capable of solving any problem as long as it can be represented and solved by an algorithm. Transferred to human intelligence, this means that if cognitive processes can be algorithm can be broken down into finite well-defined individual steps they can be executed on one machine. A few decades later, the first practical digital computers were actually built. Thus, the "physical vehicle" for artificial intelligence was available .

The electromechanical machine of Turing, considered a precursor of modern computers, managed to unlock the code used by the German submarines in the Atlantic. His work at Bletchley Park is considered key to the end of World War II. His work at Bletchley Park, an isolated country house north of London, was made public in the 1970s, when the role of the brilliant mathematician in the war was revealed. The cryptographers who worked helped shorten World War II by about two years, by deciphering around 3,000 German military messages a day. Turing's team deciphered the 'Enigma' code, which the Germans considered unbreakable, and designed and developed Colossus, one of the first programmable computers. But after the war, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the destruction of Colossus computers and 200 'Turing bombe' machines to keep them secret from the Soviet Union.

Перевод

В последние годы невероятный прогресс был достигнут в компьютерной науке и ИИ. Ватсон, Сири или Глубокое Обучение показывают, что системы ИИ теперь предоставляют услуги, которые должны считаться интеллектуальными и творческими. И сегодня все меньше и меньше компаний, которые могут обойтись без искусственного интеллекта, если они хотят оптимизировать свой бизнес или сэкономить деньги.

Системы ИИ, несомненно, очень полезны. По мере того, как мир становится более сложным, нам необходимо использовать наши человеческие ресурсы и высококачественные компьютерные системы. Это также приминяется к приложениям, требующим интеллекта. Другая сторона медали ИИ: Возможность того, что машина может обладать интеллектом, пугает многих. Большинство людей считают, что интеллект - это нечто уникальное, что отличает Homo sapiens. Но если интеллект может быть механизирован, в чём тогда будет уникальность людей и что будет отличать их от машин? Поиски искусственной копии человека и комплекс вопросов не новы. Воспроизведение и подражание мысли уже интересовали наших предков. Шестнадцатый век изобиловал легендами и реальностью искусственных существ. Гомункулы, механические автоматы, Голем, шахматный автомат Мяелзеля или Франкенштейна - это все творческие или настоящие попытки в прошлые века искусственно создать интеллект и подражать тому, что для нас важно.