This blog post continues our exploration of the foundational concepts of AI technologies. This time, I will delve into the origins of AI in the 1940s. The world was still grappling with the aftermath of the Second World War, which had caused devastation and immense suffering for millions. However, as with many conflicts, it catalysed swift technological progress.
By the late 1940s and early 1950s, the first programmable computers had emerged, albeit massive enough to fill a large room. Researchers and engineers also found themselves with an abundance of surplus military components that were no longer needed on the battlefield. The foremost scientists of that era were freed from the task of constructing complex machines to decipher enemy communications or to develop superior weaponry. By the end of the 1940s, we had gathered extensive knowledge of the brain’s workings. You may recall my previous mentions of Ivan Pavlov and Edward Thorndike, and how their research inspired AI scientists to replicate the biological principles of reinforcement learning in machines.
When Grey Walter wasn’t busy building mechanical tortoises or employing EEG techniques to investigate the human brain, he was a frequent attendee at the “Ratio Club.” This informal dinner gathering attracted prominent neurobiologists, mathematicians, physicists, psychologists, and engineers. The name ‘Ratio’ was chosen for its Latin meaning: logic, reason, and judgment. John Bates, a neurobiologist inspired by Norbert Wiener’s book, “Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and Machine,” founded the club.
Cybernetics marked the first formal exploration of intelligence, focusing on what are known as cybernetic loops. This concept suggests that an animal or machine exhibits behaviour in response to stimuli detected by its sensors, which, in turn, influence its controller. The controller takes action based on this input, resulting in some effect on an external system—its environment. This change is sensed again, which impacts the controller, creating a continuous loop.
Even today, I find it remarkable that robotics and AI still adhere to these foundational principles. Among the esteemed members of the Ratio Club was the brilliant mathematician Alan Turing, who had recently contributed to the decryption of German encrypted messages during World War II at Bletchley Park. I will delve into his work in the next blog.