A Short Distance Ahead

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The Year Was 1983

And the idea of the singularity took shape
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1980s

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The Year Was 1983
And the idea of the singularity took shape
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David Williams
The Year Was 1982
And Marvin Minsky wondered 'Why People Think Computers Can't'
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David Williams
2
The Year Was 1981
And the first AI Winter turns to Spring
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David Williams
The Year Was 1980
And AI had an identity crisis
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David Williams
A Short Distance Ahead
A Short Distance Ahead
A playful yet profound week-by-week journey through the history of AI and humanity's evolving relationship with artificial minds, told through interconnected stories of the dreamers, skeptics, and accidental prophets who shaped our digital destiny.
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Alex McFarland

1970s

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The Year Was 1979
And silence became portable
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David Williams
The Year Was 1978
And the aliens invaded
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David Williams
The Year Was 1977
And the force was with us
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David Williams
The Year Was 1976
And an AI pioneer became a heretic
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David Williams
1
The Year Was 1975
And computing power slips through institutional fingers into individual hands
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David Williams
1
The Year Was 1974
And AI went cold while authority folded
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David Williams
The Year Was 1973*
*and we'll get there, but we revisit last week on the way
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David Williams
3
The Year Was 1972
And we start to ask: can computers 'play?'
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David Williams
The Year Was 1971
And the distance between institutions and individuals was about to collapse
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David Williams
The Year Was 1970
And Future Shock was upon us
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David Williams
1

1960s

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The Year Was 1969
And the future says "LO"
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David Williams
The Year Was 1968
And we witness the 'mother of all demos'
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David Williams
The Year Was 1967
And the medium was the message
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David Williams
The Year Was 1966
And we are fooled by the illusion of understanding
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David Williams
The Year Was 1965
And fuzzy logic reigned supreme
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David Williams
The Year Was 1964
Feedback, Control, and Chaos
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David Williams
The Year Was 1963
And the irony of progress was palpable
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David Williams
The Year Was 1962
And The Metal Man Cometh
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David Williams
The Year Was 1961
And the Thinking Machine Comes to the Small Screen
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David Williams
The Year Was 1960
And we look back at sci-fi's influence on the dawn of AI
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David Williams

1950s

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The Year Was 1959
And we look back at the origins of modern computing
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David Williams
The Year Was 1958
AI learns to LISP and Dream
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David Williams
The Year Was 1957
Let the "Look, Ma, no hands!" era of AI begin
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David Williams
The Year Was 1956
Two months. Ten men.
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David Williams
The Year Was 1955
and the universe was conspiring to remind humans that everything was connected
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David Williams
The Year Was 1954
Alan Turing (1912 - 1954)
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David Williams
The Year Was 1953
Or was it?
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David Williams
The Year Was 1952
in 707 words — a 4 minute read
 • 
David Williams
1
The Year Was 1951
9 minute read
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David Williams
The Year Was 1950
A 7 minute read
 • 
David Williams
2
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