The evolution of artificial intelligence, the birth of a new industry

The purpose

To make intelligent machines, to make machines think and have a cognitive process almost like that of humans, is what scientists specialized in this new branch of robotics that we know today as artificial intelligence (AI) dedicate their time to.

The goal since the mid 30’s of the last century has been for machines to be able not only to do whatever activity they are programmed to do, but also to evaluate situations and decide what to do and when, and even to learn from their experiences and from others.

Evolution of AI

Alan Turing, the father of modern computing, published a paper in which he first introduced the concept of “algorithm”. In 1951, he published the essay “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, where he evaluates the ability of machines to impersonate humans.

However, it was in 1956 that the term artificial intelligence was first used by the American computer scientist John McCarthy at the famous Dartmouth Conference.

Another important part in the evolution of the science of artificial intelligence was the development of the artificial neural network based on the studies of the American psychologist Frank Rosenblatt. Based on this work, the engineer Marvin Minsky wrote “Perceptors” in 1969, which would become a cornerstone in the study of these artificial neural networks.

In the following decades there were periods of ups and downs regarding the development of artificial intelligence. Since the late 70’s, all kinds of software were developed that tried to emulate the learning capacity of human beings through trial and error, to playing chess beating world chess champions.

AI in our days

Today, artificial intelligence is a multidisciplinary science that has been developed based on the contributions of sciences such as philosophy, economics or medicine, coupled, of course, with technological advances in computer science and obviously mathematical logic.

The applications of artificial intelligence are present in everyday acts, such as the algorithms applied by search engines in video and entertainment pages, which learn about our tastes and preferences to give us suggestions according to them.

Software is even being developed to help us detect and prevent diseases and conditions based on the study of our vital signs. They are also present in our geolocators that tell us not only where we are going, but also the optimal route to get from point “A” to point “B” in extraordinary circumstances.

The AI industry

The artificial intelligence industry is a new and dynamic industry, and its usefulness covers various sectors, from e-commerce, medicine, security or finance.

It is estimated that more than $118 billion will be invested in this sector by 2025, with growth rates of 50% per year. This is thanks to the fact that in those years, patents around artificial intelligence will increase, as well as the number of companies that will participate in this sector.

There is still a long way to go for machines to have real autonomy based on the use of their own intelligence, and on that long road, of course, all the artificial intelligence sciences and the resources allocated to it will be involved.

Undoubtedly, the development of artificial intelligence and all its new industry is a promising future, full of expectations, challenges and opportunities.