Artificial intelligence is not some futuristic novelty — it’s a century-old pursuit that has quietly evolved into one of the most transformative forces in modern life.
According to …
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Artificial intelligence is not some futuristic novelty — it’s a century-old pursuit that has quietly evolved into one of the most transformative forces in modern life.
According to www.tableau.com, AI’s roots stretch back well before it became a buzzword in business, tech and pop culture. Understanding where AI came from helps make sense of where it’s going. Let's look at some of the history tableau.com has compiled to see the earliest forms of AI as well as the modern applications.
The idea of artificial intelligence didn’t begin with computers. As tableau.com notes, ancient inventors dreamed of creating machines that could mimic life. One of the earliest examples comes from 400 BCE, when a companion of Plato reportedly built a mechanical pigeon. Leonardo da Vinci designed an automaton knight around 1495 that could sit, wave its arms and move its head — all without human intervention.
The word “automaton” comes from the Greek term meaning “acting of one’s own will” — a fitting foundation for what would later become AI.
In the early 20th century, AI was more of a literary and philosophical idea than a technical reality. Still, as www.tableau.com outlines, this era laid important groundwork. Scientists began to seriously consider whether machines could be built to think like humans.
Notable early developments included:
1921: Czech playwright Karel Čapek coined the word “robot” in his play “Rossum’s Universal Robots.”
1929: Professor Makoto Nishimura introduced Japan’s first robot, Gakutensoku.
1949: Edmund Callis Berkley published “Giant Brains, or Machines That Think,” comparing early computers to human minds.
The foundational years of modern AI came in the early 1950s. In 1950, Alan Turing posed a bold question in his paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”: Can machines think? That question led to what we now call the Turing Test.
In 1952, Arthur Samuel developed a self-learning checkers program. By 1955, John McCarthy had coined the term “artificial intelligence” during a workshop at Dartmouth — a milestone Tableau.com identifies as a turning point in AI history.
The decades that followed saw rapid development mixed with early doubts. Tableau.com highlights this era as one of invention and frustration. Engineers created the first AI programming languages, robots joined factory lines and the idea of “machine learning” took shape.
Key moments included:
1958: John McCarthy created LISP, an AI-focused programming language still in use.
1961: Unimate, the first industrial robot, joined the GM assembly line in New Jersey.
1965: Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg developed the first expert system, capable of decision-making based on rules.
1966: Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, the first “chatterbot” to use natural language processing.
1973: Mathematician James Lighthill’s report to the British Science Council led to decreased government funding for AI in the UK.
1979: Stanford’s autonomous cart successfully navigated a room full of obstacles without human input.
Despite these advances, skepticism over AI’s practical use began to grow.
The 1980s ushered in renewed optimism and investment, which Tableau.com calls the “AI boom.” Governments, especially Japan’s, poured funding into AI research. Businesses began adopting expert systems to help with logistics, decision-making and operations.
Important developments included:
1980: The AAAI held its first national conference.
1981: Japan launched its Fifth Generation Computer project with $850 million in funding.
1985: AARON, an autonomous art program, was showcased.
1986: Germany’s Bundeswehr University tested a driverless car capable of speeds up to 55 mph.
But momentum didn’t last.
As Tableau.com explains, the “AI Winter” set in after years of unmet promises and rising costs. Funding dried up. Specialized hardware like LISP machines became obsolete with the rise of more affordable, general-purpose computers.
Highlights from this downturn:
1987: LISP-based hardware crashed in the market.
1988: Developer Rollo Carpenter launched Jabberwacky, an early chatbot designed for entertainment.
Despite setbacks, AI continued to make strides — many of them behind the scenes. Tableau.com emphasizes this era as the beginning of AI’s move into mainstream life.
Noteworthy milestones:
1997: IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov.
2000: Cynthia Breazeal’s robot Kismet could simulate facial emotions.
2002: The Roomba became the first consumer robot vacuum.
2003: NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers explored Mars autonomously.
2006: Social platforms like Facebook and Netflix began using AI to improve algorithms.
2011: IBM’s Watson beat “Jeopardy” champions, and Apple released Siri, the first mainstream virtual assistant.
The modern AI renaissance has been powered by big data, neural networks and advanced computing. According to Tableau.com, this period has seen AI become smarter, faster and far more accessible.
Recent advances include:
2012: Google researchers trained a neural net to identify cats from unlabeled photos.
2015: Over 3,000 tech leaders including Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking signed an open letter opposing autonomous weapons.
2016: Hanson Robotics unveiled Sophia, the first robot to gain citizenship.
2017: Facebook’s AI bots began creating their own language during negotiations.
2018: Alibaba’s AI outperformed humans on a Stanford reading test.
2019: Google’s AlphaStar reached Grandmaster in “StarCraft II.”
2020: OpenAI began beta testing GPT-3, which can generate human-like writing.
2021: OpenAI launched DALL-E, which generates captions and visuals using AI.
While no one can fully predict the future, Tableau.com suggests we’ll likely see AI continue to reshape industries, from healthcare and logistics to education and entertainment. Businesses are expected to expand automation, and AI tools may become as common as smartphones. There are some instances where AI has been able to predict cancer cells in the body such as the AI programs designed by Stanford and Harvard. The key will be to find balance in what is useful and helpful and what is harmful.
As AI moves forward, its long history — from Plato’s mechanical pigeon to autonomous Mars rovers and digital assistants — shows that innovation often comes from centuries of imagination, trial and error.
For more on AI’s evolution, visit www.tableau.com.
