The Shortest History of AI

In The Shortest History of AI, Toby Walsh takes us through the journey behind AI’s ‘overnight success’ to show how its recent skyrocketing popularity has been decades in the making. AI has been a part of our lives for centuries – from the first mechanical computer in 1837 to today’s chatbots, robots and self-driving cars.

But how did machines meant to follow simple instructions, read and do math become smart enough to write Shakespeare-style poetry, beat world champions at chess, and offer viable solutions to humanity’s problems? What lies in store for AI? Is it going to graduate to take over more complex jobs? If so, what might happen to our work, society, governance, healthcare – and life as we know it?

This brief history slices through the wild claims, myths and speculated threats to explain AI technology, its challenges, capabilities and how it is likely to shape the world in the future.