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AI cultural speedrun
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From clay figures to ChatGPT, we've been dreaming about artificial life way longer than we've been building it. Here's how culture shaped what we think AI should be:
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mystical beginnings (1500): Rabbi Löw drops the Golem story in Prague. Clay figure comes alive through mystical words
chinese automata (1600s): Su Song builds astronomical clock towers with mechanical figures. East meets tech
mechanical flex (1739): Vaucanson builds a duck that seems to eat and poop. Peak flex for the 18th century
chess hype (1770): The Turk mechanical chess player fools everyone. First AI hype cycle?
early uncanny valley (1816): Hoffmann writes about Olympia, an automaton that's too human
classic warning (1818): Shelley drops Frankenstein. First "maybe we shouldn't play god" story that sticks
automata boom (1880s): Paris World's Fair makes mechanical humans the next big thing
robots enter chat (1920): Čapek invents the word "robot" in a play about mass-produced workers
first robot star (1927): Lang's Metropolis gives us Maria
robot friend (1939): The Robot and the Lady short story makes robots helpers not threats
rules drop (1940s): Asimov writes his three laws
HAL appears (1968): 2001: Space Odyssey gives us the calm AI villain template
android feelings (1968): Dick asks if androids dream
tron era (1982): Computer worlds become cool
neo-noir AI (1982): Blade Runner makes everything cyberpunk
terminator fear (1984): AI becomes the big bad
cyberspace enters (1984): Gibson coins "cyberspace"
ghost questions (1995): Ghost in the Shell drops
AI feels (2001): A.I. shows us a robot kid who just wants love. Speedrun: Look up current social robot development
OS romance (2013): Her makes us fall for an OS. Actually kind of predicted current AI assistants. Speedrun: Compare with current AI chat behavior
consciousness test (2014): Ex Machina gives us the creeps about AI testing. Speedrun: Research current AI evaluation methods
warnings get real (2014): Bostrom writes Superintelligence, everyone gets nervous. Speedrun: Track current AI safety concerns
park problems (2016): Westworld makes theme parks scary again. Speedrun: Look up current AI in entertainment
life questions (2017): Tegmark drops Life 3.0, makes us think about being human. Speedrun: Follow current AI philosophy debates
game changer (2018): Detroit: Become Human lets us play with AI ethics. Speedrun: Try current AI choice simulators
empathy bot (2021): Ishiguro writes Klara and the Sun, makes us feel for an AI. Speedrun: Check current AI emotional intelligence research
mystical beginnings (1500): Rabbi Löw drops the Golem story in Prague. Clay figure comes alive through mystical words
chinese automata (1600s): Su Song builds astronomical clock towers with mechanical figures. East meets tech
mechanical flex (1739): Vaucanson builds a duck that seems to eat and poop. Peak flex for the 18th century
chess hype (1770): The Turk mechanical chess player fools everyone. First AI hype cycle?
early uncanny valley (1816): Hoffmann writes about Olympia, an automaton that's too human
classic warning (1818): Shelley drops Frankenstein. First "maybe we shouldn't play god" story that sticks
automata boom (1880s): Paris World's Fair makes mechanical humans the next big thing
robots enter chat (1920): Čapek invents the word "robot" in a play about mass-produced workers
first robot star (1927): Lang's Metropolis gives us Maria
robot friend (1939): The Robot and the Lady short story makes robots helpers not threats
rules drop (1940s): Asimov writes his three laws
HAL appears (1968): 2001: Space Odyssey gives us the calm AI villain template
android feelings (1968): Dick asks if androids dream
tron era (1982): Computer worlds become cool
neo-noir AI (1982): Blade Runner makes everything cyberpunk
terminator fear (1984): AI becomes the big bad
cyberspace enters (1984): Gibson coins "cyberspace"
ghost questions (1995): Ghost in the Shell drops
AI feels (2001): A.I. shows us a robot kid who just wants love. Speedrun: Look up current social robot development
OS romance (2013): Her makes us fall for an OS. Actually kind of predicted current AI assistants. Speedrun: Compare with current AI chat behavior
consciousness test (2014): Ex Machina gives us the creeps about AI testing. Speedrun: Research current AI evaluation methods
warnings get real (2014): Bostrom writes Superintelligence, everyone gets nervous. Speedrun: Track current AI safety concerns
park problems (2016): Westworld makes theme parks scary again. Speedrun: Look up current AI in entertainment
life questions (2017): Tegmark drops Life 3.0, makes us think about being human. Speedrun: Follow current AI philosophy debates
game changer (2018): Detroit: Become Human lets us play with AI ethics. Speedrun: Try current AI choice simulators
empathy bot (2021): Ishiguro writes Klara and the Sun, makes us feel for an AI. Speedrun: Check current AI emotional intelligence research
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