Ancient history – 1725

Published by Daniel at August 1, 2021

Artificial intelligence has a long history, dating back to antiquity when philosophers debated if artificial beings, mechanical men, and other automatons existed or could exist in some form. For those unfamiliar with computer science and its subsets, the past of artificial intelligence can appear to be a dense and incomprehensible topic. About how perplexing and unattainable this subject seems, breaking it down makes it much easier to comprehend. Human intelligence was first conceived in ancient civilizations’ imaginations and then intertwisted into their folkloric structures. The seeds of modern AI were sown by classical philosophers who tried to characterize human thought as a mechanical manipulation. However, the word “Artificial Intelligence” was not coined until 1956, at a conference held at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where it was first coined.(1)

Human intelligence was first conceived in ancient civilizations’ imaginations and then intertwisted into their folkloric structures. The seeds of modern AI were sown by classical philosophers who tried to characterize human thought as a mechanical manipulation. However, the word “Artificial Intelligence” was not coined until 1956, at a conference held at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where it was first coined.(1)

Antiquity: Greek myths of Hephaestus and Pygmalion combined the idea of intelligent robots (such as Talos), and artificial beings (such as Galatea and Pandora) would protect their territories from invaders. Also, sacred mechanical statues built in Egypt and Greece were believed to be capable of wisdom and emotion. Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary teacher of magic and mysticism, wrote: “they have sensus and spiritus.”(1)

10th century BC to 1200 AC: Yan Shi (a mechanical engineer formerly called artificer) presented King Mu of Zhou (fifth king of the Zhou dynasty of China) with mechanized men (like a robot).(2)

384 BC–322 BC: Aristotle described syllogism, a method of formal mechanistic thought and theory of knowledge in The Organon (Collection of Aristotle’s six works on logic).(2)

1st century: Heron of Alexandria (Greek mathematician and engineer, considered the greatest experimenter of antiquity) created mechanical men and other automatons.(2)

260: Porphyry of Tyros (Neoplatonic philosopher) wrote “Isagogê” (manuscript), which categorized knowledge and logic.(2)

800: Jabir Ibn Hayyan (father of early chemistry) developed the artificial creation of life in the lab, including human life.(2)

1206: Al-Jazari (Muslim inventor) described over 100 engineering devices and instructions on constructing them.(2)

1500: Paracelsus (Swiss physician, alchemist, philosopher, and lay theologist) contributed substantially to the rise of modern medicine by pioneering treatments using new chemical remedies, including those containing mercury, sulfur, iron, and copper sulfate, thus uniting medicine with chemistry.(2)

800: Jabir Ibn Hayyan (father of early chemistry) developed the artificial creation of life in the lab, including human life.(2)

1206: Al-Jazari (Muslim inventor) described over 100 engineering devices and instructions on constructing them.(2)

1580: The Golem, a clay man, brought to life, is attributed to Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague.(3)

Early 17th centrury: René Descartes wrote, in Discourse on the Method, “automata can not respond to things the way a human can.” He assumed that the mind and body are two distinct entities.(4)

1620: Sir Francis Bacon (statement and philosopher known as the father of modern scientific inquiry) is credited with the saying, “knowledge is power.”(5)

1623: Wilhelm Schickard (astronomy professor) drew a calculating clock on a letter to Kepler (astronomy mathematician). This was the first of five unsuccessful attempts in the 17th century to construct a direct entry calculating clock.(2)

1580: The Golem, a clay man, brought to life, is attributed to Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague.(3)

Early 17th centrury: René Descartes wrote, in Discourse on the Method, automata can not respond to things the way a human can. He assumed that the mind and body are two distinct entities.(4)

1620: Sir Francis Bacon (statement and philosopher known as the father of modern scientific inquiry) is credited with the saying, “knowledge is power.”(5)

1641: Thomas Hobbes considered by some historians as one of the prophets of Artificial Intelligence, primarily for his proclamation “By ratiocination, I mean computation,” in his 1651 book Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil, commonly called simply Leviathan.(2)

1642: Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, physicist) invented the mechanical calculator, the first digital calculating machine. He created the device to add or subtract two numbers directly and perform multiplication and division through repeated addition or subtraction. He was a pioneer in game theory and probability.(2)

1672: Gottfried Leibniz (German mathematician) improved the earlier machines, making the Stepped Reckoner multiplicate and divide. He also created the binary numeral system and envisioned a universal calculus of reasoning (alphabet of human thought) that could be used to determine arguments mechanically.(2)

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