CMSC 471 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence -History of AI, KRR, Logic

Origin of Artificial Intelligence

• Dartmouth Summer Research Project (1956)

  • Established AI as a formal discipline.
  • Hosted by Dartmouth College.
  • John McCarthy coined the term "Artificial Intelligence"; aimed to understand and model human intelligence.

• Foundational Proposal (1955)

  • McCarthy and colleagues proposed that all aspects of learning/intelligence could be precisely described for machines to replicate.
  • The goal: develop machines that can use language, solve problems, and improve autonomously.

• Historical Background

  • The idea of thinking machines dates back before 1956, prompted philosophical questions about machine intelligence.

The Analytical Engine

• Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

  • Designed the Analytical Engine (1837), the first conceptual digital computer; never built.
  • Features: processing unit, storage, input/output devices.
  • Programmable via punch cards, supported conditional branching.

• Lady Ada Lovelace

  • Collaborated with Babbage; recognized the potential for general-purpose computation.
  • First programmer; cautioned against exaggerated views of machine intelligence.

Computing Machinery and Intelligence

• Alan Turing (1950)

  • Published "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" which explored if machines can think.
  • Introduced the Imitation Game (Turing Test): if a machine can mimic human responses indistinguishably, it can be said to think.

• Turing's Predictions

  • Expected machines to eventually be accepted as thinking entities.
  • Countered skepticism regarding machines' abilities by illustrating insufficient historical evidence of machine learning capabilities.

L’Homme Machine

• René Descartes (1596-1650)

  • Proposed that rational behavior could define a rational being; discussed the mind-body dualism.
  • Presented tests to differentiate machines from humans (language use and reasoning).

• Machines vs. Humans

  • Descartes viewed machines as automata; could mimic but not possess true intelligence.
  • Turing echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the limitations of machines in diverse applications.

Mechanical Thought

• Gottfried Leibniz and Thomas Hobbes

  • Advocated that reasoning can be reduced to mechanical calculation.
  • Hobbes defined reasoning in terms of arithmetic operations (addition/subtraction) applied to concepts.

• Leibniz's Universal Language

  • Proposed a universal language that would allow reasoning in various domains through calculation, similar to resolving mathematical problems.

Modern Milestones in AI

• 2011: IBM Watson wins Jeopardy!
• 2014: Google's GoogLeNet surpasses human performance in image recognition.
• 2016: AlphaGo defeats world champion at Go.
• 2017: CMU's Liberatus defeats top poker players at no-limit Texas Hold 'Em.
• 2018: Crick Institute AI predicts heart disease better than cardiologists.
• 2020: Google’s DeepMind surpasses human ability in breast cancer detection.
• 2022: OpenAI's ChatGPT showcases exceptional human-like conversational capabilities.