Chapter 1
A Brief History of AI
IN THIS CHAPTER
Tracking AI from conception to fruition
Watching machines fool people and beat the experts
Seeing advanced AI capabilities in everyday life
To fully grasp the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in business, I begin by helping you trace its fascinating history. This background exploration not only illuminates AI’s vast advancements, but also highlights its utility in business and marketing.
The earliest conceptions of artificial intelligence date back to Greek mythology, where Talos — an 8-foot-tall giant constructed of bronze — stood guard over the island of Crete to protect it from pirates and other invaders. Talos would throw boulders at ships and patrol the island each day. As the legend goes, Talos was eventually defeated when a plug near his foot was removed, allowing the ichor (blood of the gods) to flow out from the single vein in his body.
From that point forward, tales of automated entities flourished in mythology, captivating the minds of scientists, mathematicians, and inventors. Modern science and technology have realized some of these mythological concepts through recent advancements. In this chapter, I introduce you ...
Get Marketing with AI For Dummies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
